What changed, and what it means for your pharmacy.
Federal rules, state laws, board actions and payment network policies that reach licensed pharmacies. Each briefing is summarized from the primary source, dated, and reviewed on a schedule.
Texas moves to limit deliveries to prescriber offices and adds a telehealth consent record due in 72 hours
A Texas State Board of Pharmacy proposal published September 18, 2026 would allow a dangerous drug to go to a prescriber's office only if the patient picks it up or is administered it there. Separately, new rule 291.13 requires documented patient consent before any pharmacist telehealth service, kept two years and produced on demand.
Compounded glutathione injectables recalled nationwide after a supplement grade ingredient sent patients to hospital
FDA reports at least 30 patients harmed by IV glutathione compounded from a single Medisca lot labelled dietary supplement grade. A third Texas compounder, Centric Compounding, has now recalled six lots of glutathione, Myer's Cocktail and Tri-Immune Boost vials shipped to patients' homes.
Arizona names unpermitted drug distribution a prohibited act and sets a clock on pharmacy ownership changes
Two Arizona chapters took effect September 12, 2026: Chapter 203 adds wholesaling or distributing prescription drugs without a Board permit to the list of prohibited acts and lets a pharmacy keep operating through an ownership change if the new owner notifies the Board in seven days; Chapter 207 caps nondisciplinary civil penalties.
FDA lets pharmacies compound neonatal starter nutrition without patient specific prescriptions for 180 days
After two outsourcing facilities that made standardized neonatal starter parenteral nutrition announced permanent shutdowns, FDA issued an immediately effective guidance on September 4, 2026 describing what it will not enforce, for which products, under which conditions, until March 8, 2027.
FTC orders two processors to screen merchants, with negative option and healthcare products under extra scrutiny
Settlements with Nuvei and Humboldt Merchant Services, announced September 4 and 8, 2026, write the FTC's merchant screening expectations into court orders: subscription and healthcare merchants get enhanced underwriting, a chargeback trip wire of one percent and 75 chargebacks a month triggers investigation, and mailbox only new merchants cannot be boarded.
Third Circuit upholds New Jersey's rule that telehealth doctors must hold a New Jersey license
In a precedential opinion filed August 31, 2026, the court rejected First Amendment, Commerce Clause and Privileges and Immunities challenges by two out of state physicians and New Jersey patients. State licensure of telemedicine is content based, the court said, but a long regulatory tradition means strict scrutiny does not apply.
Fifth Circuit upholds FDA's removal of tirzepatide and semaglutide from the shortage list
Two Fifth Circuit opinions uphold FDA's removal of tirzepatide and semaglutide from the shortage list. The compounders' appeal is over, and copies of the approved drugs are back under the statutory ban.
DEA's telemedicine special registration rule reaches final review as the current flexibilities run out on December 31
DEA's final rule creating a special registration for telemedicine prescribing of controlled substances reached White House review on August 25, 2026. The temporary flexibilities that allow remote prescribing today expire December 31.
FDA warns five online peptide sellers that research use only labels do not make injectable GLP-1s legal
Five FDA warning letters dated August 24, 2026 treat semaglutide, tirzepatide, retatrutide and other injectables sold as research chemicals as unapproved new drugs. The disclaimers did not help, and selling bacteriostatic water alongside made it worse.
Mississippi, South Carolina and Alabama bar licensees from research grade peptides, waivers or not
Mississippi, South Carolina and Alabama have issued near identical notices: no licensee may compound, prescribe, administer or dispense a research grade peptide, patient waivers do nothing, and every drug or ingredient must come from a board permitted pharmacy.
Mastercard now bills every online pharmacy transaction and requires written consent to acquire them
The August 2026 rules edition carries Mastercard's rewritten Specialty Merchant Registration Program: online pharmacies stay a registered category, acquirers need Mastercard's written consent to acquire them, and since June every registered transaction carries new network fees.
FTC and two states sue Hims and Hers over charge at intake subscriptions, hidden cancellation and health data sharing
A July 29, 2026 complaint by the FTC, Utah and California alleges customers were charged and enrolled in recurring prescription plans right after an intake form, that cancellation was hidden, and that health data went to Meta and Snap. The company denies it, and nothing is decided.
Senate committee advances the SAFE Drugs Act with interstate reporting and labeling duties for 503A compounders
S. 3794 cleared the Senate HELP Committee 17 to 5 on July 22, 2026. The reported bill keeps adverse event reporting, interstate volume reports and a not FDA approved label for 503A compounders, and drops the monthly cap on essentially a copy compounding.
FDA's June warning letters treat website claims about compounded GLP-1s as misbranding
Warning letters dated June 8, 2026 cite telehealth websites for calling compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide clinically proven and their compounder FDA licensed. FDA treats the web copy itself as misbranding.
California now requires a California licensed pharmacist in charge at every nonresident pharmacy
Since July 1, 2026 a pharmacy outside California may not ship prescriptions to California patients unless its pharmacist in charge for California operations holds a California license. The Board can now inspect nonresident pharmacies at their expense.
How to read a briefing
Every briefing has the same parts: what changed, who it affects, the key dates, why it matters to a certified pharmacy, what to do now, and the sources. The source date is the date on the instrument; the briefing date is when we published it.
What we cover
- FDA and federal
- DEA and controlled substances
- State laws and boards
- Payments and advertising
- Courts and litigation
What this is not
These are informational summaries, not legal advice, and they do not change the certification standard. Verify against the primary source linked on each briefing. Each one carries a review date; if it has passed, treat the briefing as historical until it is reviewed again. Corrections stay at the same address with a notice.
Certification that is checked against the rules, nightly.
Every certified pharmacy is re-verified against state boards, federal enforcement records and its own website every night, so the standard keeps up with the developments on this page.