This was submitted by an attorney that presented this Information to the Board at their December 21, 2011
Q: Why are some
pharmacies willing to sell
bulk compounds for
veterinary hospital dispensing and
others are
not?
A: The pharmacists
may not be aware that the
clinic is dispensing the
medications for clients to take
home, or the pharmacy may be
unfamiliar with the laws
governing this practice.
Q: What If I am not
reselling the compounded
medication, rather I am
providing the take-home portion of
a compounded medication
that was obtained from a
pharmacy free of charge?
A: Both reselling
and dispensing at no-fee
are restricted to the practice
of pharmacy in Arizona.
Q: Does this mean
that veterinarians must
write a prescription for
100% of the compounded
medications
used to treat
animals outside of the clinic?
A: Yes
Q: Does this mean
that veterinarians are
restricted from sending a small
quantity of compounded
medications home with the
patient to cover the period of
time between the patient’s visit
and the
pharmacy’s filling
of the prescription?
A: Yes
Q: What if my
practice works exclusively
with rescued animals that
are under foster care, can a
pharmacy
provide my practice
with pro-made compounded
medications to send to the
foster homes?
A: No. Even fostered
animals cared for
outside of the clinic or hospital
require the veterinarian to
arrange for a pharmacy to fill the
prescription.
Q: What If there is
an acute need for a
compounded medication and the
animal cannot wait?
A: Most specialty
pharmacies that provide
compounding services
understand these challenges and
provide emergency services. The
specialty pharmacies can also
arrange for delivery of
medications to rural areas, usually
within 24 hours. Collaborating
with a trained veterinary
pharmacy specialist can often
provide
the veterinarian
with several options during
emergency situations to
accommodate acute needs.
Q: Can the State of
Arizona update the
veterinary practice act to address this
issue?
A: The legislature
does a have process and the
power to expand the
veterinary practice to show
veterinarians more options as they
pertain to compounding
services.
COMPOUNDED
MEDICATIONS
FREQUENTLY ASKED
QUESTIONS
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