How long must original prescriptions be stored at the pharmacy location?

In Minnesota, original prescriptions must be maintained for a period of two years from the date of dispensing. This requirement is in line with pharmacy regulations designed to ensure patient safety and facilitate proper record-keeping for audits and pharmacy inspections. Storing prescriptions for this duration allows pharmacists to provide necessary information for medication history queries and ensures compliance with both federal and state laws.

Maintaining records longer than two years may not be required, while shorter retention periods would not comply with legal expectations set forth in pharmacy practice. Keeping prescriptions indefinitely is impractical and unnecessary, as it would lead to storage complications and does not align with regulatory standards. Therefore, two years strikes the right balance between operational efficiency and regulatory compliance.