Stay at Home Order & Emergency Pharmacy Rules
March 22, 2020
Stay at Home Order
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, Lt. Governor Jon Husted, and Ohio Department of Health Director Amy Acton, M.D. MPH, today announced that Ohio will be under a "Stay at Home" order.
The order will go into effect beginning Monday, March 23, 2020, at 11:59 p.m. and will remain in effect until 11:59 p.m. on April 6, 2020, unless the order is rescinded or modified.
The DIRECTOR'S STAY AT HOME ORDER includes information on essential businesses & health care.
Chloroquine & Hydroxychlorquine
Governor Mike DeWine also authorized the State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy to file emergency rule 4729-5-30.2 of the Administrative Code that places limits on dispensing chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine.
Unless otherwise approved by the Board’s executive director, no prescription for chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine may be dispensed by a pharmacist or sold at retail by a licensed terminal distributor of dangerous drugs unless:
- The prescription bears a written diagnosis code from the prescriber;
- If written for a COVID-19 diagnosis, the diagnosis has been confirmed by a positive test result, which is documented on the prescription and both of the following apply:
- The prescription is limited to no more than a fourteen-day supply, and
- No refills may be permitted unless a new prescription is furnished.
Prescriptions for either presumptive positive patients or prophylactic use of chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine related to COVID-19 is strictly prohibited unless otherwise approved by the Board’s Executive Director in consultation with the Board President, at which time a resolution shall issue.
To assist licensees in complying with this rule, the Board has developed THIS FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS DOCUMENT.
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