Pharmacy Bill, FL Budget Taking Shape

By The News Service of Florida

A Senate panel Thursday unanimously approved a proposal that calls for increased restrictions on out-of-state "compounding" pharmacies that ship medications into Florida.

Compounding pharmacies became a high-profile issue in 2012, when drugs produced at New England Compounding Center in Massachusetts caused hundreds of cases of fungal meningitis in Florida and other states. In general, these facilities create medications that are supposed to be tailored to the needs of individual patients.

The Senate Regulated Industries Committee approved a bill (SB 662), filed by Sen. Aaron Bean, R-Fernandina Beach, that would require out-of-state compounding pharmacies to get permits to ship medications into Florida. Also, the bill would require the pharmacies to meet or exceed standards, Bean said.

quoted from here