Pharmacies compounding drug problem ; secret drug mixing protocol under fire

I really feel sorry for the people who have been affected by the latest catastrophe involving compounded drugs. It could have been prevented.

Last year when all those people died in the U.S. from tainted compounded drugs I knew it would be a matter of time before it happened in Canada. Unfortunately I was right. I thought surely our government would do something to prevent that from happening here; again. Unfortunately I was wrong.

Compounding pharmacies are allowed to bring into Canada raw ingredients that they use to make “drugs” that may or may not be similar to drugs that are licenced by Health Canada. There are huge differences though. Compounded pharmacies and the “drugs” they make are not regulated by Health Canada. Self-regulating and self-interest organisations like the Ontario College of Pharmacists obviously are not effective either.

As such there are no guarantees whatsoever of effectiveness or safety. The meat we buy in the grocery stores is better regulated for safety than the products coming from compounding pharmacies. I suspect that many patients and even the doctors are not aware of the risks in using compounded products.

Hopefully now, our medical associations, our government and Health Canada will take steps to ensure that compounding pharmacies and their products meet the same quality, safety and efficacy standards that licenced pharmaceutical companies provide.

Don Bridge, Whitby