From APC's Chairman

Stepping up

(OneFund fuels our entire lobbying operation, both federal and state. CompPAC is how we support members of Congress who think like you do about the value of pharmacy compounding.)

Your APC board members aren’t the only ones who stepped up at Owner Summit. Many attendees supported our fundraiser for Congressman Jerry Carl (AL-1), a member of the House Appropriations Committee, which has oversight over FDA’s funding. Cong. Carl is a former pharmacy owner and a champion of pharmacy compounding in Congress.

Not only that, but our CompPAC fundraising reception brought us about $20,000 in investments, a great start on our way to meeting our $125,000 fundraising goal for the year. (We’ll need to achieve that goal as early in the year as possibl;e to be able to support members of Congress who’ll hear us out when we introduce important compounding legislation later this year.)

Quite a few attendees also invested in OneFund, our Compounding the Joy of Living Campaign, and the Pharmacy Compounding Foundation. We’re grateful to them all for the way they’ve stepped up to support their profession.

You can do that, too. Click the links above to invest in OneFund and CompPAC. 

Step up, and you’ll seed our ability to protect your job, your pharmacy, and your patients.

Read on for more of this week’s news.

– Anthony

Anthony Grzib is VP of quality and compliance, state-regulated pharmacies at Wedgewood Pharmacy in Swedesboro, New Jersey. You can reach him at agrzib@wedgewoodpharmacy.com.

ICYMI

Catch up on these recent stories that you might've missed:

• California BOP compounding proposals out of sync with national standards
• Racehorses, compounding and confusion
• Coming soon: Compounding certificate program for your new hires
• March policy video: Here’s what’s happening
• NEW Prescriber Brief: GFI 256 and documenting medical rationale

This week

A short story of persistence and potential

“Senator Scott understands that compounding can help alleviate drug shortages,” said Pore. “We’re grateful for his interest in HR 167, and we’re working with his team to advocate for its inclusion in the Senate pandemic preparedness bill.”

“All of this is because of the persistence of one APC member and his consistent outreach to his U.S. Senator,” said APC’s Scott Brunner. “Stuart and Brandi are examples of what effective grassroots compounder advocacy looks like. Thanks to them, we’re looking at an opportunity to advance policies that will alleviate drug shortages and benefit millions of patients.”

Harshbarger, Carter question CVM leader

Yesterday, the House Energy and Commerce Committee's Health Subcommittee held a hearing on reauthorizing the animal drug user fee, during which new director of FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine, Tracey Forfa, and a panel of representatives from vet industry organizations responded to questions from subcommittee members.

Representatives Buddy Carter (GA-1) and Diana Harshbarger (TN-1 and an APC member) posed several questions to witnesses related to CVM’s GFI 256.

A few highlights:

• Rep. Carter asked Ms. Forfa about the agency’s plan for the implementation and enforcement of GFI 256’s components. She agreed to commit to continue working with stakeholders—representing pharmacists and vets, as well as State Boards of Pharmacy—to clarify the guidance and how it will be enforced, especially for outsourcing facilities. Click here to watch.

• Rep. Harshbarger asked Ms. Forfa about the animal health drug approval process and the concerns with drug shortages and how compounding can help mitigate them. Here’s that exchange.

• Rep. Harshbarger asked Generic Animal Drug Alliance Chair Stephanie Batliner to clarify a statement the latter had made earlier that referred to “illegal” compounding pharmacies. Watch it here.

We’re grateful to Reps. Carter and Harshbarger for their support for pharmacy compounding. You can watch the full hearing here.

The Committee on Energy and Commerce is the oldest standing legislative committee (established 1795) in the US House of Representatives and is vested with the broadest jurisdiction of any congressional authorizing committee. The Energy and Commerce Committee is at the forefront of all issues and policies powering America’s economy, including our global competitive edge in energy, technology, and health care—including oversight of FDA. The committee is led by E&C Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers and E&C Ranking Member Frank Pallone (D-NJ).

Owner Summit is done: See you in 2024!

For more pictures from #2023OwnerSummit, please visit the Owner Summit webpage (scroll down a little from the top).

We hope you can join us for next year's Owner Summit, April 4-6, which is being held at the Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines in La Jolla, California. 

Save these dates

Now available on-demand: The FDA Compounding Quality Center of Excellence is announcing the availability of a self-guided, online course: Aseptic Process Simulations (Media Fills)

April 6: An APC webinar, Making the Case for Advanced Pharmacy Technicians

April 20: An APC webinar, Compounding for Women’s Health Conditions

May 25: An APC webinar, IV Nutrition. More details coming soon.

June 1: APC Fellows Program application deadline

June 6: An APC webinar, Compounding for Cosmetic Needs. More details coming soon.

June 29: An APC webinar, Trends in Veterinary Pharmacy: What Compounders Need to Know. More details coming soon.

September 19–20: APC's Compounders on Capitol Hill 2023; Hilton National Mall; Washington, DC

2024

April 4-6: Owner Summit, La Jolla, CA

Short takes

Papa is in Rolling Stone. APC member Jack Korbutov, owner of The Art of Medicine in Philadelphia, was recently featured in a Rolling Stone article on low dose naltrexone’s off-label usage. (He’s also a new father. Congrats, Jack!)

Look, hun, going to the Browns game is good for me! If you’re in a relationship with a partner who doesn’t love sports as much as you do, you now have science to justify going to games in-person: According to a recent UK study, attending live sporting events improves levels of well-being and reduces feelings of loneliness.

Quick links



APC Career Center

• Job seekers

• Employers

APC's Code of Ethics

Compounding Connections archive

Compounders on Capitol Hill

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

EduCon 2023

Owner Summit 2023

Prescriber Briefing Resources

off  

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

• Accounting & Tax Services: Rx Advisors

• Audible Sunshine

• Office Equipment: TUI Solutions

• Online Payments Platform: HealNow

• Patient-Reported Outcomes: OutcomeMD

• Pharmacy Technician Certification Board

• Shipment Trackers, a shipping costs auditor  

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.