Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Texas Pharmacy Board reopens drone-delivery rule after debate on cold‑chain, delivery locations and provider responsibility
Summary
The Texas State Board of Pharmacy debated amendments to allow unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) to deliver prescriptions, heard hospital and provider testimony urging removal of a cold‑chain exclusion and changes to who confirms delivery, and voted to return the rule to the proposed stage for further edits and public comment.
The Texas State Board of Pharmacy spent extensive time debating an amendment to its prescription delivery rules that would explicitly allow pharmacies to use unmanned aircraft systems (UAS or drones) to deliver certain prescription drugs.
The board considered language that would allow a pharmacy to deliver prescription drugs "by use of unmanned aircraft systems, i.e., drones, at the request of a patient or patient's agent" but— as drafted—would exclude controlled substances, sterile compounded preparations and "drugs requiring storage below a cool temperature as defined by 291.15 of this title." The issue drew public comment from health systems and drone providers and prompted repeated questions from board members about who should verify a patient’s presence and where goods may be delivered.
Board members heard support and suggested edits from hospital and vendor representatives. Freddy Warner, chief government relations officer for Memorial Hermann Health System, said his system has…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
