Virginia Code 54.1-3411: When prescriptions may be refilled
Prescriptions may be refilled as follows:
Terms Used In Virginia Code 54.1-3411
- Drug: means (i) articles or substances recognized in the official United States Pharmacopoeia National Formulary or official Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States, or any supplement to any of them; (ii) articles or substances intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease in man or animals; (iii) articles or substances, other than food, intended to affect the structure or any function of the body of man or animals; (iv) articles or substances intended for use as a component of any article specified in clause (i), (ii), or (iii); or (v) a biological product. See Virginia Code 54.1-3401
- in writing: include any representation of words, letters, symbols, numbers, or figures, whether (i) printed or inscribed on a tangible medium or (ii) stored in an electronic or other medium and retrievable in a perceivable form and whether an electronic signature authorized by Chapter 42. See Virginia Code 1-257
- Label: means a display of written, printed, or graphic matter upon the immediate container of any article. See Virginia Code 54.1-3401
- Prescriber: means a practitioner who is authorized pursuant to §§ 54. See Virginia Code 54.1-3401
- Prescription: means an order for drugs or medical supplies, written or signed or transmitted by word of mouth, telephone, telegraph, or other means of communication to a pharmacist by a duly licensed physician, dentist, veterinarian, or other practitioner authorized by law to prescribe and administer such drugs or medical supplies. See Virginia Code 54.1-3401
1. A prescription for a drug in Schedule II may not be refilled.
2. A prescription for a drug in Schedules III or IV may not be filled or refilled more than six months after the date on which such prescription was issued and no such prescription may be authorized to be refilled, nor be refilled, more than five times, except that any prescription for such a drug after six months from the date of issue, or after being refilled five times, may be renewed by the prescriber issuing it either in writing, or orally, if promptly reduced to writing and filed by the pharmacist filling it.
3. A prescription in Schedule VI may not be refilled unless authorized by the prescriber either on the face of the original prescription or orally by the prescriber except as provided in subdivision 4. Oral instructions shall be reduced promptly to writing by the pharmacist and filed on or with the original prescription.
4. A prescription for a drug controlled by Schedule VI, including insulin, may be refilled without authorization from the prescriber if reasonable effort has been made to communicate with the prescriber, and the pharmacist has determined that he is not available and the patient’s health would be in imminent danger without the benefits of the drug. Authorization to refill under this subdivision also exists when the pharmacist only has access to the label on a prescription container. The pharmacist shall inform the patient of the prescriber’s unavailability and that the refill is being made without his authorization. The pharmacist shall promptly inform the prescriber of such refill. The date and quantity of the refill, the prescriber’s unavailability, and the rationale for the refill shall be noted on the reverse side of the prescription.
1970, c. 650, § 54-524.68; 1972, c. 798; 1976, c. 614; 1983, c. 395; 1988, c. 765; 1996, c. 408; 2023, c. 341.