Virginia SB421 authorizes remote pharmacist opioid treatment verification
Summary
Virginia enacted SB421 (Ch. 345, eff. 7/1/2026) authorizing licensed pharmacists to perform verification, counseling, and supervision duties remotely when pharmacy technicians or authorized personnel dispense opioid use disorder medications at federally certified opioid treatment programs (OTPs). The bill passed the Senate 40-0 and House 91-5 before Governor approval.
What changed
Virginia SB421 authorizes licensed pharmacists to exercise verification, counseling, and supervision duties remotely when pharmacy technicians or other authorized personnel dispense medications for opioid use disorder at federally certified opioid treatment programs. Prior law required in-person pharmacist presence for such duties. Opioid treatment programs and dispensing pharmacies must now develop compliant protocols for remote pharmacist verification while maintaining federal OTP requirements.
Affected parties including OTP facilities, dispensing pharmacies, and licensed pharmacists should assess their current workflows and update policies to leverage remote verification capabilities before the July 1, 2026 effective date. Facilities must ensure proper documentation and supervision protocols are in place for remote verification activities.
What to do next
- Assess whether remote pharmacist verification aligns with OTP dispensing workflows
- Review and update pharmacy operational policies for remote supervision
- Confirm compliance with federal OTP certification standards
Archived snapshot
Apr 8, 2026GovPing captured this document from the original source. If the source has since changed or been removed, this is the text as it existed at that time.
ChangeBridge / Virginia / SB421 Signed by Governor SB421 Senate Bill Signed by Governor 2026-04-06
Pharmacist; remote verification and counseling in opioid treatment programs.
Remote pharmacist verification and counseling in opioid treatment programs. Authorizes a pharmacist licensed in the Commonwealth to exercise verification, counseling, and supervision duties remotely when a pharmacy technician or other authorized personnel dispenses medication prescribed for the management of opioid use disorder at a federally certified opioid treatment program.
Bill Details
State Virginia
Session 2026 Regular Regular Session
Chamber Senate
Official Source lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/SB421
LegiScan View on LegiScan
Sponsors
Barbara Favola (Sen - D)
Action History
2026-04-06 Approved by Governor-Chapter 345 (effective 7/1/2026) 2026-04-06 Approved by Governor-Chapter 345 (effective 7/1/2026) 2026-03-10 Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026 2026-03-10 S Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 10, 2026 2026-03-04 S Signed by President 2026-03-04 H Signed by Speaker 2026-03-04 S Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB421) 2026-03-04 S Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB421ER) 2026-03-04 S Enrolled 2026-02-27 H Passed House (91-Y 5-N 0-A) 2026-02-27 H Read third time 2026-02-26 H Read second time 2026-02-24 H Reported from Health and Human Services (19-Y 3-N) 2026-02-19 H Subcommittee recommends reporting (10-Y 0-N) 2026-02-16 H Assigned sub: Health Professions 2026-02-13 H Referred to Committee on Health and Human Services 2026-02-13 H Read first time 2026-02-13 H Placed on Calendar 2026-02-10 S Read third time and passed Senate (40-Y 0-N 0-A) 2026-02-09 S Engrossed by Senate (Voice Vote) 2026-02-09 S Read second time 2026-02-06 S Passed by for the day 2026-02-06 S Passed by for the day (Voice Vote) 2026-02-06 S Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading) (39-Y 0-N 0-A) 2026-02-06 S Rules suspended 2026-02-05 S Reported from Education and Health (14-Y 0-N) 2026-01-30 S Assigned Education sub: Health Professions 2026-01-29 S Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB421) 2026-01-13 S Referred to Committee on Education and Health 2026-01-13 S Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26104861D
Votes
2026-02-05 Reported from Education and Health (14-Y 0-N) Yea: 14 Nay: 0 2026-02-06 Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading) (39-Y 0-N 0-A) Yea: 39 Nay: 0 2026-02-10 Read third time and passed Senate (40-Y 0-N 0-A) Yea: 40 Nay: 0 2026-02-19 Subcommittee recommends reporting (10-Y 0-N) Yea: 10 Nay: 0 2026-02-24 Reported from Health and Human Services (19-Y 3-N) Yea: 19 Nay: 3 2026-02-27 Passed House (91-Y 5-N 0-A) Yea: 91 Nay: 5
Committee Referrals
2026-01-13 S Education and Health 2026-01-30 S Education: Health Professions 2026-02-13 H Health and Human Services 2026-02-16 H Health and Human Services: Health Professions
Bill Text Versions
2026-01-13 Introduced 2026-03-04 Enrolled Legislative data powered by LegiScan (CC BY 4.0)
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