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A bill that would remove the requirement for pharmacists to take a law exam to practice in Indiana was passed by the state Senate this week.
Senate Bill 293, authored by Sen. Brian Buchanan, R-Lebanon, would remove the requirement that pharmacists seeking to become licensed in Indiana must take a Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination, or MPJE, as currently required under Indiana Administrative Rules and Policies (856 IAC 1-3.1-1).
According to the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, the MPJE “ensure(s) competency in state and federal pharmacy law and provide streamlined pathways to license portability.”
Under the bill, pharmacists would instead take continuing education courses to maintain their knowledge of current state laws and policies.
“Pharmacists are a vital part of the health care industry, and Senate Bill 293 is aimed at reducing the red tape needed for students to get their pharmacist licenses,” Buchanan said in a written statement. “I was grateful for the help from the Butler and Purdue students on this legislation and thank them for their work.”
Buchanan worked with the Indiana Pharmacy Association on the bill, which would also require pharmacists to pass the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination in order to obtain licensure in the state.
Indiana Pharmacy Association Executive Vice President Darren Covington told The Indiana Lawyer that, in other states that have also removed this requirement, there has been “there has been no evidence of patient harm or poor practice that has occurred as a result.”
“This bill will serve to attract pharmacy students and pharmacists to Indiana at a time when there is projected to be a continued shortage of pharmacists in Indiana and nationally,” Covington said in a written statement. “Pharmacy students will still be required to complete and pass a course of instruction in pharmacy law, and pharmacists will still be responsible for knowing and complying with pharmacy laws.”
The bill, which was passed by the Senate on Wednesday, now heads to the Indiana House of Representatives.
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