The 2009 graduating class of Palm Beach Atlantic University's Lloyd L. Gregory School of Pharmacy achieved a passing rate that was second in the state only to the University of Florida on the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination.

The Gregory School of Pharmacy's 62 candidates passed the NAPLEX at a rate of 96.8 percent compared with 96.9 percent the previous year, which was the school's highest to date. The rate placed PBA second among the four Florida schools with 2009 graduates who took the NAPLEX. The passing percentages are for first-time candidates taking the exam.

The 2009 class also achieved the highest pass rate ever, 93.3 percent, for a Gregory School of Pharmacy class on the Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination (MPJE). That rate also placed PBA second among the four Florida universities with first-time MPJE candidates who were graduates in 2009. Forty-five candidates from PBA's class of 2009 took the MPJE.

"This is another sign that the hard work of students and faculty is paying off," said Dr. Dan Brown, dean of the Gregory School of Pharmacy.

The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy released the pass rates of both exams Feb. 18.