As Congress addresses compounding pharmacies

M. Keith Hodges, owner of Gloucester Pharmacy and a member of the Virginia House of Delegates, writes in “First, do no further harm”:

As a pharmacist and small business owner, I can tell you for certain that provisions in a well-intended Senate proposal (S. 959) would hinder the ability of independent pharmacists across the country to compound medications for their patients who might not be able to get these vital prescriptions anywhere else.

Additionally, the measure would require pharmacies to report directly to the Food and Drug Administration when they are compounding medications to alleviate a drug shortage. State boards of pharmacy regulate the practice of pharmacy in each state. During the H1NI outbreak several years ago, when Tamiflu was in short supply, independent pharmacies utilized their compounding expertise to fill the void for countless children. As drug shortages continue to skyrocket with no relief in sight, Congress must make certain that patients receive all necessary medications in a timely manner, not create further delays by adding additional federal bureaucracy.

Niels Erik Hansen, president and CEO of Intelligent Hospital Systems in Winnipeg, writes in “Technology can make compounding safer”:

Medication compounding is a common practice in hospitals and pharmacies. Physicians prescribe combinations of medicines that are mixed in a single syringe or IV bag for a specific patient. To make these compounds accurately and safely, pharmacists must measure and combine drugs with meticulous care — for example, diluting a few milliliters of one drug and adding an equally small quantity of another. But despite the best efforts of pharmacy workers to mix medications perfectly, humans are not perfect.

One of the biggest advantages automated pharmacy compounding technology provides is removing the primary source of contamination and error — humans — from the compounding process. And automated compounding systems deliver many more benefits than the ability to make highly precise sterile compounds exactly right every time.

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