(a) The director shall appoint a Medi-Cal Contract Drug Advisory Committee for the purpose of providing scientific and medical analysis on drugs contained on the list of contract drugs. The duties of the committee shall be as follows:

(1) To review drugs in the Medi-Cal list of contract drugs and make written recommendations to the director as to the addition of any drug or the deletion of any drug from the list. These recommendations shall be in accordance with subdivision (c) of Section 14105.39.

(2) To review and report in writing to the director as to the comparative therapeutic effect of drugs in accordance with Section 14053.5.

(3) To prepare a fair, impartial, and independent recommendation in writing, regarding appeals from manufacturers made pursuant to subdivision (d) of Section 14105.39.

(b) The committee shall consist of at least one representative from each of the following groups:

(1) Physicians.

(2) Pharmacists.

(3) Schools of pharmacy or pharmacologists.

(4) Medi-Cal beneficiaries.

(c) Members of the committee shall be reimbursed for necessary travel and other expenses incurred in the performance of official committee duties.

(d) In order to provide sufficient scientific information and analysis in the therapeutic categories under review, the director may replace a representative if required for specific expertise.

(e) The director shall notify the committee of the decisions made on the recommendations.

(Amended (as amended by Stats. 2000, Ch. 93, Sec. 77) by Stats. 2002, Ch. 1161, Sec. 65. Effective September 30, 2002.)