Partial fills for Schedule II drugs: which statement is correct?

• A. Initial fill can be partial within 14 days, and the rest must be obtained within 30 days of the issued date.
• B. Initial fill must be full and cannot be partial.
• C. Partial fills must be completed within 7 days.
• D. There is no time limit for partial fills.

Answer: (A)

Partial fills are allowed for Schedule II drugs, so a pharmacist can dispense part of the prescribed quantity and the remaining amount can be filled later. The important rule is that the remaining quantity must be dispensed within 30 days of the date on the prescription (with an exception: terminally ill patients or those in long-term care may have up to 60 days to complete the remainder). This is why the statement describing an initial partial fill and a 30-day window for the rest aligns with practice. The other ideas conflict with this framework: you don’t have to fill the entire amount at once, there is a defined time limit for completing the remainder, and there is a specific window rather than no limit.