| Customer verification | Must verify the buyer's license |
|---|---|
| Records to keep | 2 years |
| Separate device or DME distributor license | In some cases |
What Illinois requires before you ship
A licensed wholesale distributor may sell prescription drugs only to buyers licensed by the right state licensing agency. Before it ships to a buyer it does not already know, it must check with that licensing agency that the buyer is legally allowed to receive the drugs. It may deliver only to the address on the buyer's license, with a few narrow exceptions. It also may not take payment or open a credit account except from the owner of record, CEO, or CFO listed on the buyer's license.
Who counts as an authorized buyer: A person licensed by the appropriate state licensing authorities to receive prescription drugs, such as a licensed pharmacy, practitioner, hospital, or another licensed distributor. Controlled substances may go only to a registered place of business or professional practice.
"must affirmatively verify that the person is legally authorized to receive the prescription drugs by contacting the appropriate state licensing authorities" 225 ILCS 120/56(b), (c), (e)
Records to keep
Distributors must keep inventories and records of every prescription drug they receive and ship. Each record shows the seller's name and address, what drug and how much, and the dates. Records must be available for inspection for 2 years after the drugs leave. Records kept off site that cannot be pulled up electronically must be produced within 2 working days of a request.
Source: 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1510.120(f)
Licenses a distributor needs in Illinois
Prescription drug wholesale distributor
Every wholesale distributor that ships prescription drugs into, out of, or within Illinois must hold an IDFPR wholesale drug distributor license before it starts. This applies no matter where the distributor is located.
Source: 225 ILCS 120 (Wholesale Drug Distribution Licensing Act); 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1510.80
Medical device and DME distributors
Illinois has no general license for wholesale distributors of medical devices. A company that delivers prescription home medical equipment (oxygen, ventilators, hospital beds, power wheelchairs and similar items) to patients where they live needs a Home Medical Equipment and Services Provider license. That law governs serving patients at home. It does not set rules on which business customers a device wholesaler may sell to.
Source: 225 ILCS 51/10 (Home Medical Equipment and Services Provider License Act, definitions)
Controlled substances
Anyone who makes, distributes, or dispenses controlled substances in Illinois needs an IDFPR controlled substance registration. This is in addition to DEA registration.
Source: 720 ILCS 570/302(a)
Where to look up a Illinois license
- Pharmacies and pharmacy permits: Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), Board of Pharmacy
- Physicians and other practitioners: IDFPR, Illinois State Medical Board
- NPI: NPPES NPI Registry
- DEA registrations: DEA Diversion Control Division
Federal rules that apply in every state
- A prescription device "is to be sold only to or on the prescription or other order of such practitioner," or to a business lawfully distributing it (21 CFR 801.109).
- A prescription drug wholesale distributor's trading partners "may be only authorized trading partners," which for a pharmacy means one licensed under state law (21 U.S.C. 360eee-1(c)(3)).
How WorkdID handles Illinois accounts
WorkdID by Workd checks every Illinois customer you sell to against the state's pharmacy and medical boards, the NPI registry, and the DEA, every day. It flags an expiration or a board action within a day of posting, and in Workd order entry it can hold the order until your compliance team clears the account. Every check is saved with the date and the board record, so your Illinois file is ready when someone asks for it.
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