Run, Forrest. Run!

Seen in a recent medical newsletter: “Pharmacy Compounding Primer: Prescriber Beware”. Prescriber Beware?? What about the patient?

The article (and the series of which it is a part) is about compounding pharmacies, now in the wake of the meningitis debacle emanating from the New England Compounding Center (NECC). You will recall that many died as a result of receiving contaminated drugs compounded and distributed by NECC. So the government moved in quickly, solved the problem and now we’re all safe, right?

What has occurred in recent months is an assessment of how poorly regulated this compounding system actually is. For instance, states:

• often can’t identify or track the activities of compounding pharmacies;

• don’t know how many pharmacies are registered,

• have inadequate inspection staff and record keeping,

• can’t share compounded prescription data with one another.

The FDA has stepped up its inspections, but that herculean effort has resulted in a mere 31 inspections for all of 2013.

Compounding is like a box of chocolates — you never know what you’re going to get.

OMCA can help you make the right choice.