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WASHINGTON — The Consumer Healthcare Products Association on Thursday applauded the Vermont legislature and Gov. Peter Shumlin for their passage of House Bill 522, which makes Vermont the 27th state to adopt the pseudoephedrine-tracking system known as the National Precursor Log Exchange.

NEW YORK — A new law in Missouri allows state regulatory officials to test drugs during inspections.

Gov. Jay Nixon signed into law the bill, S.B. 306, which allows the Missouri Board of Pharmacy to establish a program for testing drugs, including compounded drugs, with testing paid for by the board. The law previously allowed the board only to inspect businesses selling drugs or chemicals.

A copy of the bill is here.

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS Caremark on Tuesday announced that a month-long, in-store fundraising campaign at CVS/pharmacy locations throughout the Boston area raised more than $650,000 in donations from customers to The One Fund Boston, which was established by Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino to raise money for victims and families who were affected by the attack on the Boston Marathon.

NEW YORK — Florida's state legislature approved a bill last week that will allow pharmacists to substitute biosimilars for brand name biotech drugs.

The bill, which was approved last Tuesday and is scheduled to take effect on July 1, institutes requirements for pharmacists to substitute biosimilars when they are determined to be biosimilar to and interchangeable with the brand name product, while also requiring the state board of pharmacy to maintain a current list of interchangeable products.

QUINCY, Mass. — Ahold USA and its Stop & Shop banner have donated half a million dollars to a charitable organization set up to aid victims of the recent terrorist attacks in Boston.

The company announced the donation of $500,000 to The One Fund Boston, formed by Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino.

"Words cannot express the tragedy that took place at the Boston Marathon," Stop & Shop New England Division president Joe Kelley said. "We mourn with all of of those who were affected."

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The governor of North Dakota has signed into law a bill that would require pharmacy benefit managers to inform pharmacies about how reimbursement for generic prescription drugs is calculated under maximum allowable cost benchmarks and provide a more detailed appeals process to pharmacies to contest the MAC reimbursement caps that PBMs set up.

The bill, H.B. 1363, received unanimous support in both houses of the state's legislature, and Gov. Jack Dalrymple signed it into law Monday.

WASHINGTON — A committee of Florida's state Senate has passed a bill that could limit the use of biosimilars in the state.

The Florida Senate Committee on Health Policy passed S.B. 732, sending it to the full state senate. The legislation would require pharmacists to inform doctors when a follow-on biologic was substituted for a brand-name biotech drug. The bill is similar to one signed into law last month by Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell.

WASHINGTON — Gov. Bob McDonnell of Virginia has signed into law the first bill that could limit the reach of follow-on biologics, though the bill includes a two-year sunset clause, meaning it will expire in 2015.

McDonnell signed House bill 1422 and the identical Senate bill 1285, which would prevent a pharmacist from dispensing a biosimilar to substitute for the original, branded biologic if the prescriber indicated that substitution was not allowed or if the patient insisted on receiving the branded product.

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — Continuing to assist those who were affected by Hurricane Sandy, the CVS Caremark Charitable Trust, a private foundation created by CVS Caremark Corporation, announced on Friday that it is donating $50,000 to the Hurricane Sandy New Jersey Relief Fund.

Established by Gov. Chris Christie and chaired by First Lady Mary Pat Christie, the relief fund is a nonprofit organization that raises and distributes funds to organizations to support the recovery and rebuilding efforts of New Jersey communities impacted by the storm.

BOSTON — Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick has introduced legislation that would give the state government broader power over compounding pharmacies, the governor's office announced.

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens on Thursday announced $100,000 in additional donations to Hurricane Sandy relief efforts. The company, which includes Duane Reade in New York and New Jersey, is making two $50,000 contributions, one to the Empire State Relief Fund announced by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and the other to the Hurricane Sandy New Jersey Relief Fund established by Gov. Chris Christie.

NEW YORK — Kiosk manufacturer PharmaSmart got a visit from New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo Tuesday as he visited companies that his administration sees as leading the way in the state's economic development.

PharmaSmart was one of two companies in the Rochester, N.Y., area and one of 20 in the state overall to become part of Cuomo's Empire State Development Program.