From APC's President

It’s August. Do you know where your congressman is?

Last week, my wife Cathy and I met with Congressman John Moolenaar. 

Rep. Moolenaar is a strong friend of compounding. Due to the 2020 redistricting in Michigan, I now have the chance to vote for him for the first time. I have always supported him, but now I am a constituent, which creates a huge shift in our dynamic.

Do you know who your state representative is? You should. If you do know, do you know where they are right now? I can tell you exactly: They are back in your district, working hard for votes from you, your patients and your neighbors. They want to meet with you. 

Remember, we hire them. They work for us and need to hear our feedback, much like you give each of your team members every year.

In the next couple of months, you have three excellent opportunities to engage with your member of congress and make sure your voice gets heard:

1. Congress is in recess in August. EVERYONE is home in their district. It is a perfect opportunity to reach out and invite them to tour your pharmacy. Tell them your story, let them meet your patents and show them what you do. 

2. If you cannot get your representative in for a visit, meet them at a fundraiser, a town hall or other local event they are holding. The important thing is to meet them, give them your elevator story, and do it as often as you can.

3. Attend APC’s annual fly-in, Compounders on Capitol Hill, in September. This is your chance to meet them on their turf. This is a well-organized event that will feature over 500 Hill visits. This is your chance to meet with other compounders and together tell your member of congress why what you do is important.

If you need help engaging your congressman in your home district, APC has two excellent resources: David Pore (dpore@hslawmail.com), Partner at the law firm Hance Scarboro, and APC’s chief lobbyist, Amy Shank (AShank@pccarx.com), PCCA’s Director of Government Relations. Both are excellent resources and are happy to help you develop relationships with your representative.

• • •

David Miller is APC’s president and the managing co-owner of Keystone Compounding Pharmacy in Grand Rapids, Michigan. You can reach him at drdave@keystonepharm.com.

This week

Emergency briefing on cBHT is August 11

APC’s cBHT Campaign Steering Committee has scheduled an emergency briefing at 3pm EDT on August 11, and all APC members who compound hormones for their patients are urged to attend.

“FDA’s implicit threat to restrict compounded hormones is not going away,” said APC CEO Scott Brunner. “The agency could act at any moment, and we’re facing three urgent needs for action that can make a difference in slowing down the effort to restrict cBHT. We’ll provide marching orders at this briefing.”

The briefing is free, but registration required: a4pc.org/cbhtbriefing.

NEW: Physician briefing papers from APC

One-pagers help you help prescribers understand compounding

Hard to believe, but there are still physicians out there who question the legitimacy of pharmacy compounding, so they’re reluctant to consider the compounded therapies you can provide their patients. That, or they press you to compound substances that are prohibited. 

To help you educate prescribers, APC and the Pharmacy Compounding Foundation have developed two member-only briefing documents you can share with physicians and other prescribers. One is “The Truth About Pharmacy Compounding.” It explains the regulatory framework in which compounders operate and provides an overview of what can and cannot be compounded under federal law. The other is “Compounding Peptides: It’s Complicated.” It explains restrictions on peptide compounding as well as uncertainty surrounding the list of semaglutide on FDA’s Drug Shortage List.

The APC and PCF logos give credibility to the documents, and both are designed so you can add your pharmacy logo as well.

Download the new briefing papers here and share them with the physician offices you or your sales reps visit. (It’s an APC member-only tool, so you’ll need your login and password to access it.)

1,000 signatures and growing

Last week, we asked for your help in encouraging physicians to sign our letter to FDA expressing concern about its implicit threat to restrict cBHT—and you heard the call and answered. Thank you. We now have about 1,000 prescriber signatures on the letter. Please send a reminder to prescribers you work with who may not have signed yet. With your continued help, it’s not out of the question that we could hit 2,000 or more signatures before the August 15 deadline.

You’ll find everything you and your prescribers need to know at a4pc.org/physicianletter.

Know a pharmacy student interested in attending PCCA’s International Seminar 2022 and ACT Legislative Conference 2023 FOR FREE? Tell them about PCCA’s Pharmacy Student Scholarship Contest. This year’s topic: “How will you be the pharmacist that changes our compounding pharmacy profession for the better?”

To enter, submit an online application outlining a 10-minute stage presentation along with a 2-minute video preview of the content. Submission deadline is Wednesday, August 31

Sen. Rosen, Rep. McMorris Rodgers to speak at CCH

Another reason to get registered now for the compounding advocacy event of the year!

APC has confirmed that two members of Congress who serve on key committees with oversight over pharmacy compounding in the U.S. Senate and House will speak at Compounders on Capitol Hill:

• Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA), Ranking Member, House Energy & Commerce Committee, will attend the CompPAC Reception on Wednesday afternoon, September 14. Please note that this is a separate, ticketed event.
• Senator Jacky Rosen (NV), member of Senate HELP Committee, will speak at breakfast on Wednesday morning, September 15.

You should already know that APC's Compounders on Capitol Hill is your once-a-year opportunity to engage your members of Congress in-person, on their turf. 

Here are two things you may not know:

• The APC room block at the Hilton National Mall is filling up fast, and there’s no overflow hotel.
• The sooner you register, the earlier and better chance we have of scheduling you for an in-person visit with your members of Congress. Wait until the last minute, and all bets are off.

Arrive in DC on Wednesday, September 14 by midday, get briefed on APC’s advocacy priorities, then join us for Washington Nationals game that evening (ticket included in registration). Then on Thursday morning, head to Capitol Hill for meetings with your elected officials, and we’ll have you back to the airport ready to fly home by 5:00pm that afternoon.

Find full details, get registered, and make your hotel reservation here.

Get going! It’s the best thing you’ll do for your compounding practice all year.

Board nominations open for APC

and Foundation

Save these dates

August 11: An APC webinar, Emergency cBHT Briefing

August 16, October 6: A joint APC/PCCA program, Quality & Compliance Webinar

August 18: An APC Webinar: Hazardous Drug Decontamination – Understanding its Purpose and Validating Best Practices with Abby Roth

August 18–19: A joint APC/PCCA, in-person program, USP Implementation Training, Houston, TX

September 6–8: FDA's virtual Compounding Quality Center of Excellence Annual Conference

September 14: APC's Annual Meeting during Compounders on Capitol Hill, 2:00-2:30pm ET, Hilton National Mall, Washington, DC

September 14–15: APC’s Compounders on Capitol Hill 2022, Hilton National Mall, Washington, DC

September 22: An APC Webinar: Keeping it Legit: Best Authentication Practices for Compounders, PART I - PROVIDERS AND PRESCRIPTIONS (registration link coming soon)

October 13: An APC Webinar: Keeping it Legit: Best Authentication Practices for Compounders, PART II - WHOLESALE DISTRIBUTORS (registration link coming soon)

October 26–29: PCCA's International Seminar, Houston, TX (in-person + virtual)

Short takes

Congratulations! APC Vice President Tenille Davis, PharmD, RPh, was recently appointed to the Arizona Board of Pharmacy by her state's governor.

Welcome to our newest Pharmacy/Facility Members (PFMs).

• SmartPractice Allergen Bank LLC; Phoenix, AZ
• Specialty Veterinary Pharmacy, Stafford, TX
• VetMedics Compounding Pharmacy; Ronkonkoma, NY
• Westmoreland Pharmacy; New Albany, IN

Learn more here about how you can access the many benefits that come with being a PFM.

Inflation Act could impact community pharmacies. NCPA has shared its take on how provisions in the current draft bill of the Inflation Reduction Act could impact community pharmacy. Read the full article here.

Quick links



APC Career Center

• Job seekers

• Employers

APC's Code of Ethics

Compounding Connections archive

Compounders on Capitol Hill 2022

Continuing education

• Live webinars

• On-demand webinars

Current issues:

• GFI #256 on animal compounding

• Urgent-use compounding

• Prohibition on peptide compounding

• La Vita Case amicus filing

• Insanitary Conditions amicus filing

Invest in APC efforts

• CompPAC

• Campaign to save cBHT

• OneFund

Membership

• Renew

• Pharmacy/Facility Membership (PFM)

• APC Logo agreement for PFMs

• APC Logo agreement for individual members

Affinity service providers

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• Audible Sunshine

• Office Equipment: TUI Solutions

• Online Payments Platform: HealNow

• Patient-Reported Outcomes: OutcomeMD

APC is committed to addressing any concerns or complaints within one business day. Please send them — and, of course, any compliments — to info@a4pc.org.