CO SB071

Pharmacists may substitute an FDA-approved interchangeable biological product for a prescribed biological product only if the FDA has determined interchangeability and the prescriber has not indicated "dispense as written" or equivalent notation.

Pharmacists or their designees must communicate the specific biological product dispensed (including name and manufacturer) to the prescribing practitioner within a reasonable time through electronic medical records, e-prescribing technology, or other means, except when no FDA-approved interchangeable product exists or for refill prescriptions unchanged from prior fillings.

Pharmacies must retain written or electronic records of dispensed biological products for at least two years after substitution.

Practitioners can prevent substitution by initialing or signing a "dispense as written" or "do not substitute" box, or by communicating orally, but cannot transmit handwritten signatures or preprinted initials via facsimile for this purpose.

The Board of Pharmacy must maintain a website link to FDA resources identifying all biological products approved as interchangeable with specific biological products; substitution does not apply to vaccines and immunizations per board rules.