Why the NABP and Boards of Pharmacy Are More Important Than Ever

I recently had the opportunity to attend the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) Annual Meeting, where I saw firsthand the significant challenges and opportunities facing state boards of pharmacy. This meeting, along with other major industry events like AMCP and Asembia, shed light on the critical role the NABP and its member boards play in ensuring the safety and integrity of the pharmacy profession.

The NABP has seven core programs that it either directly administers or provides substantial support to the state boards:

• Pharmacist licensure transfer and verification

• The North American Licensure Examination (NAPLEX)

• Continuing Pharmacy Education

• Support of the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) through its Pulse program for participating pharmacies

• Accreditation—covering advanced practices from compounding to specialty

• Pharmacy Inspection in support of state board inspections

• Foreign pharmacist access and certification

And if this isn’t enough to keep the staff busy, in addition to the programs listed above, the NABP has committed to five key initiatives to further its mission to protect the public health. They are:

• Pharmacy Practice, Well-being and Safety – promoting the mental health and well-being of pharmacy staff. We’ve all seen the reports of pharmacists’ dissatisfaction with working conditions and early efforts at unionization.

• Safe Pharmacy Resources – educating consumers about safe medication practices. This has become an even greater issue with the proliferation of misinformation across various social media platforms.

• Medication Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder – promoting pharmacist-provided medication-assisted treatment for patients with opioid use disorder, which remains one of our nation’s greatest health challenges.

• US Drug Supply Chain Security and Integrity – this not only includes supporting DSCSA but also working with various state and federal agencies to monitor and safely implement drug importation programs.

One additional initiative has been added this year, and it ties directly into the future of pharmacy: the formation of the NABP Innovation Institute. This new initiative will explore the intersection of technology and pharmacy practice, including the use of AI-driven avatars for medication counseling when in-person consultations with a pharmacist are not possible.

We are already seeing the proliferation of AI tools that can generate near life-like videos and avatars. Google has just released a tool called Flow, which has stirred significant interest for its ability to quickly create realistic videos from text-based documents. When combined with AI sources, we will see avatars giving expert advice on a wide range of topics, with pharmacy and medicine being obvious targets for this technology. This is a potential game-changer for how healthcare services are delivered, but it raises important questions about how we will harness these productivity gains to improve access to primary care.

As we look to the future, it’s clear that the NABP and its innovation efforts will play a central role in helping state boards navigate these emerging technologies. Full Practice Authority (FPA) and the rapid advancements in AI are two areas where the NABP’s leadership will be crucial. We need to ensure that the gains from these technologies translate into meaningful improvements in patient care. I predict that the NABP Innovation Institute will become an invaluable resource for state boards, enabling them to stay ahead of technological advances that are moving far too quickly for individual boards to handle on their own.

The NABP’s work has never been more important. As it leads efforts to support state boards in their missions to protect public health, it remains crucial for those in the pharmacy profession to engage with their boards and stay informed about the regulatory changes that will shape the future of pharmacy practice.

If you are passionate about the future of pharmacy, I recommend reaching out to your state board to discuss how you can contribute to the ongoing dialogue around technology, Full Practice Authority, and improving public health. By staying engaged, we can help ensure that the profession continues to evolve in ways that benefit both practitioners and patients.