"COMPOUNDING PHARMACIES BATTLE REGULATION: Compounding pharmacies have been suddenly thrust into the public spotlight after multiple cases of meningitis were traced to steroids mixed — or compounded — at a pharmacy in Massachusetts. Compounding pharmacies, which operate differently than regular pharmacies, are a relatively new phenomenon, and the battle over how they’re regulated is still being fought.
But the young industry isn’t naive in the ways of Washington. The Wall Street Journal reportedyesterday, citing Center for Responsive Politics data, that the International Association of Compound Pharmacies has spent more than $1.1 million since 2000, wrangling with Congress and regulators at the Food and Drug Administration.
As the Journal points out, it’s not clear that the current meningitis outbreak would have been prevented by any proposed regulations (or better oversight of current regulations), but a review of lobbying records on OpenSecrets.org shows that the IACP isn’t the only group lobbying on compounding pharmacies. In fact at least 30 organizations have filed dozens of lobbying reports in the last decade on the issue of “compounding” — many of them individual compounding pharmacies, but also a number of pharmaceutical giants with high-octane lobbying operations, like Wyeth, AstraZeneca and Pfizer.
(The item above was contributed by Michelle Merlin)"
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