A 523: Directs the department of health to create a prescription drug inventory database that contains a list of all drugs designated as being currently in shortage by the federal food and drug administration's drug shortages database, and a list of pharmacies in the state where each such drug is currently in stock.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 523 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY (Prefiled) January 8, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. STECK -- read once and referred to the Committee on Health AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to directing the department of health to create a prescription drug inventory database The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The public health law is amended by adding a new section 2 278-b to read as follows: 3 § 278-b. Prescription drug inventory database. 1. The department shall 4 create and maintain an online searchable database that contains a list 5 of all drugs currently in shortage, and a list of pharmacies in the 6 state where each such drug is currently in stock. 7 2. The department shall make the database accessible only to licensed 8 physicians and pharmacists, and shall authorize only licensed pharma- 9 cists to update inventory levels of drugs currently in shortage, as 10 listed in the database. Each pharmacy shall update its inventory levels 11 of all drugs currently in shortage, as listed in the database, at least 12 weekly. 13 3. The department shall be authorized to promulgate any rules and/or 14 regulations necessary to implement the provisions of this section. 15 4. For the purposes of this section, the following terms shall have 16 the following meanings: 17 (a) "Database" shall mean the database created pursuant to subdivision 18 one of this section. 19 (b) "Drugs currently in shortage" shall mean drugs designated as being 20 currently in shortage by the federal food and drug administration's drug 21 shortages database. 22 (c) "Pharmacist" shall mean a person licensed as a pharmacist pursuant 23 to article one hundred thirty-seven of the education law. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD00681-01-5 
 A. 523 2 1 (d) "Pharmacy" shall mean an establishment registered as a pharmacy 2 pursuant to section sixty-eight hundred eight of the education law. 3 (e) "Physician" shall mean a person licensed as a physician pursuant 4 to article one hundred thirty-one of the education law. 5 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.