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The voice for pharmacy compounding | December 11, 2020

 

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In this issue

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From the President

Shawn Hodges
APC President

Dear ,

This past week has been one jaw-dropping thing after another.

First, more than 500 compounders registered for our Emergency Meeting last Friday to be briefed on the threat to cBHT and to hear about the patient-facing media campaign we aim to launch. I don't know that in our organization's history we've hosted an event that attracted that many folks. And I don't know that I've ever seen such passion among compounders for a single cause: protecting cBHT access for millions of Americans whose lives are made better thanks to compounded hormones.

As a result, compounders like you have begun to step up and help fund the media campaign we've proposed. (Here's a three-page brief about the campaign.)

Our aim is to raise $250,000 this month to help complete the creative development of the campaign. At I write this, we're closing in on $150,000 raised already, and I've heard from many of you who plan to give but have not done so yet. Come January, we'll commence an effort to raise $1 million dollars for each of the next three years to fund media placements. For 12-18 months, those ads will focus exclusively on the threat to cBHT. Whether or not we can launch this campaign depends on that funding, but as I said on the call last Friday: The costs of doing nothing and losing your cBHT business are a lot higher than the substantive investments we're asking you to make in this campaign. I hope you'll contribute.

And then yesterday came word of the U.S. Supreme Court's unanimous decision in Rutledge v. PCMA, upholding the right of Arkansas to regulate PBMs. It's a huge win for small business pharmacies and the patients they serve. We're grateful to the Arkansas Pharmacists Association for leading the charge, and to APhA, NASPA, and NCPA for their strong support. Today is a brighter day today because of them.

And speaking of bright days: Happy Hanukkah! At this special time, may we all be filled with light and wonder and gratitude.

Yours In Health,
Shawn

 

 

You can reach Shawn at [email protected].

Saving cBHT: APC prepares major media campaign

More than 500 people attended APC's emergency meeting on the threat to cBHT -- a meeting where we announced our ambitious media campaign to protect compounder's right to make hormone therapy, and patients' right to have the treatment that is helping millions every day.

Make no mistake: This is an existential threat for the compounding industry, and potentially a nightmare for the millions of Americans who rely on cBHT therapy. It will require the kind of ambitious, long-term, and nationwide effort we're planning to stop it.

APC, with your help, is stepping up to protect your business and your patients with an aggressive, multi-pronged, three-year media campaign aimed at informing and mobilising patients, prescribers, and legislators.

The cornerstone of the campaign will be focusing on the human face of cBHT -- the people whose lives are improved -- with special emphasis for the first 12-18 months on the threat to cBHT.We've already had a proof-of-concept video produced:

 

That's our plan -- the question is, will enough of you step up to support it?

Read the details, what we're doing, and why we need you at A4PC.org/cbhtrisk.

 

APC is experiencing some website issues accepting credit cards.
If you need assistance, please call us at (281) 933-8400.

Board approves cBHT policy

The APC Board of Directors has approved the alliance's official policy statement on compounded bio-identical hormone therapy.

Highlights of the statement:

  • APC opposes any additional regulation of cBHT.
  • APC supports all compounded hormone therapy, with no preference for particular dosage forms.
  • APC opposes restrictions that would limit hormone compounding to pharmacies that adhere to cGMP.

Click here to read the full statement, and visit A4PC.org/cbht for all our latest information on the fight to protect cBHT.

Help us get cBHT data from your prescribers

As part of our effort to save cBHT, APC is helping to gather evidence from physicians that supports its safety and efficacy of cBHT.

We have developed a brief survey on Google Forms, which will take no more than five minutes for your physicians to fill out: Compounded Hormones for Female Patients is a survey assessment of prescribing habits and methods used to evaluate the safety and efficacy of female compounded hormones. This survey includes an invitation to contribute with potential case studies for scientific publication.

Please ask the physicians you work with to participate (by February 15, 2021). The kind of real data it will help us catalog will be vital in establishing the safety and efficacy of cBHT.

The link to the survey is A4PC.org/cbhtsurvey.

Together we can save cBHT.

Passionate about state-level compounding issues?

To grow our influence and effectiveness on state-level legislative and regulatory issues, the APC Board has approved the formation of a State Legislative & Regulatory Committee for 2021.

Incoming President Michael Blaire is looking to appoint to that committee APC members who are passionate and informed about state-level public policy affecting compounding. The committee is expected to meet quarterly in 2021 via teleconference.

*If you have interest in serving, shoot an email to [email protected] before Wednesday, December 23, 2020.

Dates set for 2021 EduCon, Owner Summit

Mark your calendars!

EduCon Virtual 2021: Best Practices in Compounding will be held, well, virtually on February 4 - 5, 2021. More info to follow, of course.

And pharmacy owners and managers will want to plan on APC's inaugural 2021 Compounding Pharmacy Owner Summit -- March 26-27, 2021 at the Westin Jekyll Island on Jekyll Island, Georgia

Registration for both events will open soon.

A second chance for some great CE webinars

Did you miss our webinar on the truth about peptides compounding? Or maybe e-prescribing? APC's got you covered with our on-demand archive of those courses and more, just for compounders.

Like what, you ask?

  • Developing an inside sales team
  • Compounding in Shortage: Tips for Doing it Right and Well
  • Life in the Post-COVID-19 World: The New Normal for Compounding Pharmacies
  • Touching the Bug: Topical Anti-infectives

And much more -- visit a4pc.org/cearchive and check out our lineup of great self-paced classes!

 

Coming up

December 15 -- Live CE Webinar: E-Prescribing in Compounding; 2:00 to 3:00 pm EDT

February 4-5, 2021 -- EduCon Virtual 2021 (more info to come)

March 26-27, 2021 -- APC's 2021 Compounding Pharmacy Owner Summit (more info to come)

ICYMI

SCOTUS ruling: Huge win for indy pharmacies. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 8-0 (!) in favor of the state of Arkansas -- and against PBMs -- in Rutledge v. Pharmaceutical Care Mgmt Assoc. You can read the full ruling (PDF) here.

Big dogs bite off more than they can chew. Indy pharmacists have been "excluded from the federal initiative to vaccinate long-term care facilities"; now CVS and Walgreens are trying to grab their employees.

Covid-19 vaccine billing guidance is available. With the first Covid-19 vaccine just around the corner, now's the time to get your ducks in a row if you're planning to provide vaccinations. NCPDP has released its guidance for providing the vaccine (22-page PDF), but you'll probably want to start with NCPA's overview for how you're likely to need to bill for the vaccine.

We've hit the 2300 2500 mark for testimonials about the effectiveness of cBHT (from patients, prescribers, and compounders). That sounds like a lot, but we need more! The more testimonials we have for each congressional district, the better, so please continue to spread the word: Go to A4PC.org/cbhtandme and tell us your story!