This piece is appalling – both the bias and error in the article itself AND that Pharmacy Times would take a swipe at a legitimate pharmacy practice like pharmacy compounding. The author seems to have swallowed what the drugmakers fed her without chewing it. But then, note all those drug ads surrounding the online piece. And no, APC was not asked to provide perspective.
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Drugmakers, newsmedia, and even regulators have been wrongly conflating legitimate compounding of GLP-1s with illegal online drug sales. In their latest RogueRx Activity Report, NABP doesn’t make that mistake. The report explores how diabetes drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro have “gone viral” for their off-label use in weight loss and how bad actors are taking advantage of the drugs’ popularity, putting patients at risk. Read the full report here — it’s worth your time.
A recent study published in JAMA suggests that the benefits of hormone therapy outweigh the risks for treating menopause symptoms, particularly among women under 60. Based on two decades of follow-up data from the Women’s Health Initiative study, which initially raised concerns about hormone therapy, researchers now indicate that newer hormone formulations at lower doses are safer and more effective. With various hormone therapy options available, including lower-dose compounded transdermal dosage forms, experts suggest reconsidering hormone therapy for managing menopause symptoms and potential long-term health benefits, such as protection against bone loss and heart disease.
This week, APC submitted a comment letter to the Massachusetts Board of Pharmacy about two issues on which the Board recently expressed concern. As our Board chair reported last week, the Massachusetts Board had indicated that compounding sublingual semaglutide violated FDA’s “essentially a copy” guidance. In our letter, we enunciated the statutory basis that clearly allows sublingual forms of semaglutide to be compounded.
Our letter also discusses the Massachusetts Board’s statements prohibiting Massachusetts-based 503B outsourcing facilities distributing compounded medications to resident 503A pharmacies for dispensing.
This week, APC wrote to state boards of pharmacy and FDA to make them aware of delays in completing stability studies as USP 797 is enforced across the country. Sterile compounding pharmacies are required to complete stability studies for category 3 sterile preparations. We’ve heard from some of you that analytical labs are experiencing considerably longer turnaround times — largely due to the increased volume of testing requests that the new 797 standard has prompted — leading to current and significant delays in obtaining results. The letters are FYI, so that boards and FDA are aware of the situation.
Wells Pharmacy Network is our newest Bronze-level Corporate Patron — a $10,000 investment.
“We’re glad to have Wells on board as a Corporate Patron,” said APC’s Scott Brunner. “We appreciate their support of the work APC is doing for pharmacy compounders.”
You can find a full list of our Corporate Patrons on our website.
You know this by now: You can’t believe everything you read in the news, especially when it comes to compounding. To combat the misinformation and lack of balance in reporting on compounding, our CEO has written this piece. Give it a read, and share it with your prescribers.
You may know EduCon as APC’s “Ethical Compounding Conference” – a virtual event that delivers “best practices” training to compounding pharmacists and technicians. That hasn’t changed.
But this year, it’s back with a new user-friendly format. We know you’re busy, and setting aside time in a workday, even for professional development, is tough. And setting aside two days, as our former EduCon format required, was even tougher.
That’s why we’ve restructured EduCon as a LIVE virtual learning series that you don’t even have to take LIVE if you don’t want to.
Over three evenings – one each in July, August, and September – you can learn the latest on the hottest topics in compounding from some of the best presenters in the industry and earn six hours of CE credit while you’re at it.
We’ve reduced tuition for the event, too – so it may just be the best deal in compounding education you’ll find anywhere.
Employees of APC Pharmacy/Facility Members
All Other Registrants
* Your PFM rep will receive a separate email with specific codes to use to access PFM pricing. Please check with them or reach out to info@a4pc.org for the codes.
With the passing of Dr. Loyd V. Allen, Jr., PhD, this week, our profession lost a giant.
No hyperbole here: His passion for and influence over the ethical practice of pharmacy compounding is simply unequalled.
If you are a long-time compounder, he is surely known to you. If you are newer to our profession and he is not known to you, he should be. Read his full obituary here, but here’s the gist:
A visionary leader, Dr. Loyd Allen revolutionized the field of pharmaceutical compounding, spearheading groundbreaking research and innovation. His contributions extended far beyond the classroom, as he served as a consultant to compounding pharmacists and the pharmaceutical industry. His scholarly output included over 100 experimental publications, 30 books, chapters, and monographs, and the award-winning Editor-in Chief of the 22nd edition of Remington: The Science and Practice of Pharmacy.
And that’s not half of it. A couple of other bits worth mention: He was also the long-time editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Pharmacy Compounding. A longtime supporter of IACP and APC as well, three years ago he led our work group that revitalized and rebooted APC’s Compounder Code of Ethics. That document is a direct reflection of Allen’s own ethic and participation in his profession.
What a loss his death is – but what a life of service.
Dr. Allen was a man of faith. One couldn’t read his weekly Compounding Today e-newsletter without picking up on that fact (well that, and that he loved Burma Shavesigns). He lived a life of humble work in and to the communities he was a part of. His efforts to instill competence, care, and integrity in the practice of pharmacy compounding will continue to benefit patients for years to come. For all these reasons, allow me to borrow a bit of Christian scripture here and say: Well done, good and faithful servant.
To his family we extend our deepest sympathy. May he rest in peace.
— Joe
Joseph P. Navarra, RPh, FACA, FAPC is the owner of Town Total Compounding Center in Woodbury, New York. You can reach him at joseph.navarra@towntotalcompound.com.
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