Illinois, California tweak PIC rules

In Illinois....

In early December we told you about our letter — cosigned by NCPA — to the Illinois Board of Pharmacy, asking that the state to hold off enforcing a law that took effect on Jan. 1. (It requires pharmacies dispensing in the state to have a pharmacist-in-charge with an Illinois license. Problem: The state was waaaaaay behind in processing the applications.)

Good news: A few weeks after we sent the letter, Camile Lindsay, director of the state’s Department of Financial & Professional Regulation granted a variance — i.e., the state will vary that law by extending the deadline to March 30, 2026. That should give the state a chance to catch up on all the license applications that have been submitted. 

And in California …

If you dispense to California, the countdown has begun to July 1, 2026, when all non-California-resident pharmacies must name a California-licensed pharmacist to serve as pharmacist-in-charge (PIC) over your California operations, and — and this is the important part — submit the proposed PIC’s name, license number, and effective date to the California Board of Pharmacy.

Obviously it can’t be just anyone — the CA PIC needs to have had PIC training for the Golden State, and (obviously) be authorized to do what’s necessary to comply with California laws and regs. Click here for all the details you need including dates for the California Practice Standards and Jurisprudence Examination (CPJE) Test.