The voice for pharmacy compounding │ 21 December 2022
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This is our final edition for 2022
It has been our pleasure to serve you in 2022. We wish you a wonderful holiday season and happy new year.
Please note that APC offices are closed from noon on Friday December 23, and will reopen on Tuesday, January 3, 2023.
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Image by Couleur from Pixabay.com | | |
Faithful friends who are dear to us... | |
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As holiday songs go, I’ve always loved "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," written in 1943 by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane. Maybe I'm particularly fond of it because Martin and I share Birmingham as a hometown, but I also love the heartfelt, hopeful lyrics Blane penned during wartime:
XXXHave yourself a merry little Christmas
XXXLet your hearts be light
XXXFrom now on our troubles will be out of sight
These lyrics move me every time I hear them. They make me slow down and think not only about family but also about the bonds we form with others, including those we work with.
Here at year-end, two relationships in particular are on my mind: The ones I’ve enjoyed with APC’s outgoing Board Chair Michael Blaire of Scottsdale, Arizona, and our outgoing President Dave Miller of Grand Rapids, Michigan.
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Simply put, these two men have been extraordinary leaders for pharmacy compounding. They’ve been well-informed, engaged, and passionate, with the ability to know what to take seriously (their roles) and what not (themselves). They have been a joy to work with. Our profession is better because of their service. I’m grateful to—and for—them both.
Interestingly, the line in the song that is perhaps the most well-known—the one about "hanging a shining star upon the highest bow"—was not in the original version sung by Judy Garland in the 1944 movie Meet Me in St. Louis. In 1957, Frank Sinatra wanted to include the song in his upcoming holiday album and asked Martin to rewrite one particular line ("Until then we'll have to muddle through somehow"), citing that it didn't sound very jolly. Hence, the "shining star" lyrics we love today.
But that original, not-so-jolly line resonates with me—it reminds me that time and distance aren’t the measures of friendship, and that life sometimes requires muddling through until we can come together again.
Here’s that original line in its original verse:
XXXSome year hence we all will be together
XXXIf the fates allow
XXXUntil then we’ll have to muddle through somehow—
XXXSo have yourself a merry little Christmas now.
Thank you, Mike and Dave, for your friendship, for bringing compounders together as you have, and for the noble work you’ve done to elevate our organization.
Happy holidays to all!
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Scott Brunner, CAE
Chief Executive Officer
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TIME FOR SAVING IS RUNNING OUT!
Early-bird rates end January 4…
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ICYMI
Catch up on these recent stories that you might've missed:
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APC submits comments to FDA on DTE | |
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“We respectfully request that the FDA immediately retract these letters [to NABP] and issue a correction: DTE is not a biological product because it does not meet FDA’s definition of biologic product.”
That’s APC’s message in a comment letter submitted yesterday to FDA. The letter follows FDA’s communications to NABP stating that Thyroid USP was a biologic and therefore ineligible for compounding.
Following circulation of those letters, APC requested a meeting with FDA to express its concerns about the unorthodox communication of and the faulty logic and science behind FDA’s DTE reclassification. In that meeting, CDER Director Gail Bormel requested that APC submit formal comments for the agency to have on record. This week’s comment letter was in response to that request.
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Bylaws changes affect officer election, titles | |
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APC members recently approved bylaws amendments to eliminate the office of president and change the way Alliance officers are elected.
Under the new bylaws that take effect January 1, the APC Board chair will have all authority formerly vested in the president, as well as presiding over the Board of Directors.
“It’s always been confusing to have both a president and board chair,” said APC Board Chair Mike Blaire. “Under the new format, they are one office rather than two.”
In new bylaws, responsibility for electing APC officers is shifted from the membership, as was formerly the case, to the Board of Directors. Henceforth the Board will elect its own officers from the board itself.
Members also approved the creation of the office of Immediate Past Board Chair, who will be a full voting member of the board.
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For small and large 503A and 503B pharmacies and outsourcing facilities, APC offers a pharmacy/facility membership (PFM) as an alternative to purchasing several individual memberships.
We’re pleased to welcome our newest PFM members to the fold, bringing the total to 95 pharmacies and facilities that have joined APC as PFMs:
- Austin Compounding Pharmacy, Austin TX
- Community Clinical Pharmacy, Mesa, AZ
- Dinno Health Pharmacies, Acton, MA
- Eastern States Compounding Pharmacy, Littleton, NH
- Everwell Specialty Pharmacy, Pensacola, FL
- Innovation Compounding Inc, Kennesaw, GA
- Kings Compounding Pharmacy, Amarillo, TX
- Mark Drugs Roselle, Roselle, IL
- Pencol Pharmacy, Denver, CO
- Pharmacy Specialists Compounding Pharmacy, Altamonte Springs, FL
- Revelation Pharma, Raleigh, NC
- RPC2B, Millburn, NJ
- Shaver Compounding + Hallmark, Pocatello, ID
- South River Compounding - Southside, Midlothian, VA
- South River Compounding Pharmacy - West End, Richmond, VA
If you’re not already a PFM and would like to change that, please click here for details or you can contact APC’s Jason Dunn at jason@a4pc.org or 918.770.6333.
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Corporate Patron Briefing Recap. APC recently held an informative briefing for our Corporate Patron partners. The meeting included an overview of APC’s recent efforts on behalf of pharmacy compounding, as well as a look at plans for 2023 and beyond. Here's a link to the recording for those who couldn't join us.
CVM issues update on horse treatment. FDA announced yesterday it has approved Zycosan (pentosan polysulfate sodium injection) for the control of clinical signs associated with osteoarthritis in horses. For more information, see FDA’s letter to veterinarians, letter to pharmacists, and the FOI summary for Zycosan.
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