Nicholas Meza

Practical, relationship-driven counsel for pharmacy and health care businesses

Nick Meza is a pharmacy and health care regulatory attorney who advises national and regional healthcare businesses, with a particular focus on the pharmacy industry. His clients include retail, independent, mail-order, specialty and nonresident pharmacies; pharmacy benefits managers (PBM); pharmacy hubs; wholesale drug distributors; drug and device manufacturers; hospitals; physician and oncology groups; and integrated behavioral health practices.

Nick counsels pharmacy clients on complex state and federal regulatory requirements affecting multistate operations, including state board of pharmacy licensing and compliance, shared pharmacy services and central fill arrangements, remote pharmacy models, controlled substances, drug distribution, and pharmacy change-of-ownership and other transactional matters. He regularly helps clients evaluate innovative operational models that may not fit neatly within existing pharmacy statutes and regulations and represents clients before state boards of pharmacy and other regulatory agencies.

With a master’s degree in public health, policy and administration and prior clinical work experience, Nick brings a practical understanding of healthcare operations to his legal advice. Clients value his responsiveness, collegial approach and ability to develop practical legal and business solutions. He works closely with clients, business partners and regulators to identify creative paths forward while managing regulatory risk.

Nick is chair of the Phoenix office Health & Life Sciences Practice Group.

• Advising national and regional pharmacy clients on state pharmacy law and multistate regulatory compliance, including pharmacy and pharmacist licensing, nonresident pharmacy requirements, practice-of-pharmacy standards, automated dispensing systems, supply chain requirements and controlled substance compliance under federal and state law.
• Providing strategic advice and contractual support to pharmacy clients developing complex shared pharmacy services arrangements, including central fill, prescription order processing, remote pharmacy practice and other technology-enabled operational models.
• Counseling pharmacy clients on business licensing and transactional requirements, including change of ownership (CHOW), change of location (CHOL), change of officer (CHOO) and related state board of pharmacy approvals and notifications.
• Representing pharmacies and other regulated entities before state boards of pharmacy in connection with licensing matters, regulatory inquiries, investigations, disciplinary proceedings and requests involving novel business or operational models.
• Counseling wholesale drug distributors, drug and device manufacturers, and repackagers on state and federal regulatory compliance, including licensing, controlled substance requirements and the development of suspicious order monitoring and reporting programs.
• Providing state regulatory and licensure advice to entities engaged in the dispensing and distribution of investigational drug products.
• Advising pharmacy hubs, technology companies and other businesses developing new healthcare delivery models on pharmacy law, scope-of-practice requirements and related operational issues.
• Assisting national oncology and specialty physician practices with the development of specialty drug programs and in-office dispensing operations.
• Advising behavioral health entities on regulatory compliance and transactional matters.
• Defending healthcare facilities and licensed professionals against regulatory and licensing board investigations and complaints.

• Secured regulatory approval for an innovative pharmacy service delivery model not expressly contemplated by existing statutes and regulations, successfully presenting the model before multiple regulatory boards.
• Represented pharmacy industry stakeholders before state boards of pharmacy and rulemaking authorities advocating for modernization of pharmacy regulations governing shared services, remote practice, technology-assisted pharmacy models and expanded scopes of practice.
• Counseled pharmacy clients on evolving state regulatory requirements affecting multistate and nonresident pharmacy operations, helping clients implement compliant national operating models.