History

Formation

Legislation that first recognized the need for regulation of the practice of pharmacy in Texas was passed in 1889.  That year the legislature established boards of "pharmaceutical examiner" which were three-man committees in each senatorial district of the state. Pharmacists were examined and certified by these committees, although there was much inconsistency as to standards. Few records were kept and there was no central authority to coordinate the committee's activities.

To bring consistency and centralization to pharmacy practice regulation, the Texas Legislature passed the first Texas Pharmacy Act in 1907. This Act established the Texas State Board of Pharmacy as an independent state regulatory board. The first Board members took the oath on August 27, 1907, and in September of 1908, the agency was represented for the first time at the annual meeting of National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP). The agency joined NABP that year and thus reciprocal privileges were established with other member state boards.

Today

The Texas State Board of Pharmacy is comprised of eleven Governor-appointed members and over 100 staff members who oversee a licensee population that consists of pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and various types of pharmacies (facilities). Learn more about Board operations via our annual reports, which detail the Board's mission, goals, and much more. You can also find Board meeting information here.

The agency also oversees the Texas Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP), which collects and monitors prescription data for all controlled substances (Schedules II through V). Learn more about the PMP on the PMP home page and see quarterly reports based on PMP data here.

Future

Learn more about how the Texas State Board of Pharmacy plans to protect and serve the citizens of Texas into the future by reading the agency’s Strategic Plan for FY2019-2023.