(a) Every licensed pharmacy must be in the continuous daily charge of a pharmacist. A pharmacist shall be designated as the PIC and shall have direct control of the pharmacy services of said pharmacy. - (i) A pharmacist may not serve as the PIC unless said pharmacist is physically present in the pharmacy a minimum of thirty-two (32) hours per week, except for time periods of less than thirty (30) days when absent due to illness, family illness or death, scheduled vacation or other authorized absence, every week, or eighty percent (80%) of the time the pharmacy is open, if opened less than forty (40) hours per week.
- (ii) A pharmacist may not serve as PIC for more than one pharmacy at a time. The name of the PIC shall be designated on the application of the pharmacy for the license and in each renewal period. A pharmacist may seek a waiver from the Board to serve as PIC for more than one pharmacy, provided those requirements for number of hours physically present in the pharmacy are met.
- (iii) It shall be the responsibility of the person, partnership, firm, or corporation holding a pharmacy license to notify the Board immediately of the disability of the PIC for a period exceeding thirty (30) days.
- (iv) A corporation or other non-pharmacist owner must comply strictly with the above provisions and provide a PIC who will have complete control of the pharmacy services of the pharmacy.
- (v) Responsibilities of the PIC include requiring compliance with all federal and state pharmacy laws and regulations. It shall be the duty of the PIC to report all pharmacy violations within their facility to the Board, with the single exception that, whenever a PIC or staff pharmacist reports a pharmacist or pharmacy technician to the Wyoming Professional Assistance Program (WPAP) for suspected substance abuse, no further reporting to the Board regarding the name of the suspected substance abuse impaired pharmacist or pharmacy technician needs to be done. Any pharmacy technician-in-training or pharmacy intern suspected of substance abuse and reported to WPAP shall be reported to the Board.
- (vi) Additional responsibilities of the PIC shall be to:
- (A) Establish policies and procedures for the procurement, storage, compounding and dispensing of pharmaceuticals;
- (B) Supervise the professional employees of the pharmacy;
- (C) Supervise the non-professional employees of the pharmacy;
- (D) Establish and supervise the recordkeeping for the security of all pharmaceuticals;
- (E) Report any significant loss or theft of drugs to the Board and other authorities;
- (F) Ensure that all professional staff, including registered pharmacists, interns, pharmacy technicians-in-training and registered pharmacy technicians, have valid licenses or registrations in good standing and that all certificates are on display. Pharmacists must report any change of address or place of employment to the Board within fifteen (15) days of the change;
- (G) Ensure that all pharmacy licenses, including state and federal controlled substances registration, are valid and posted;
- (H) Develop and implement a procedure for drug recall, including a quarantine area designated separately from other drugs awaiting return; and
- (I) Upon receipt, each shipping container shall be visually examined for identity and to determine if it may contain contaminated, contraband, counterfeit or damaged prescription drugs or prescription drugs that are otherwise unfit for dispensing.
- (II) The prescription drugs found to be unacceptable shall be quarantined from the rest of the stock until examination and determination that the prescribed drugs are not outdated, damaged, deteriorated, misbranded, counterfeit, contraband or adulterated.
- (I) Assure that all expired drug products are removed from active stock and placed in an area designated for return.
- (vii) Every pharmacy shall have at least one registered pharmacist on duty and physically present in the building at all times that the pharmacy is open for the transaction of business. If the pharmacist is absent from the building where there is a licensed retail pharmacy, the prescription department must be locked and kept so until that pharmacist's return. A sign stating "Prescription Department Closed - No Registered Pharmacist on Duty" shall be conspicuously posted.
- (viii) No pharmacy shall be permitted to operate without a PIC for more than thirty (30) days.
Amended, Eff. 10/31/2017.
Amended, Eff. 12/19/2018.