Should decisions affecting professional practice be based on "science" and "facts" or on unfounded "opinions" and unfounded "interpretations"? With the events of the past few years, many organizations and agencies are reacting to the adverse events caused by a very few that "broke the law" and making it more and more difficult for patients to continue to obtain their patient-specific medications. We often hear during debates some statistics and numbers and don't always question where they came from; we tend to just accept them. However, that lax attitude often results in enforceable requirements that are not really necessary and adversely impact patients. Should these decisions be based on "science" or "opinion with relatively few facts or even misinterpreted facts?"

Science is:

• The observation, identification, description, experimental investigation, and theoretical explanation of natural phenomena.
• An activity that appears to require study and method; knowledge gained through experience.
• The state or fact of knowing; knowledge of something specified or implied.
• Possession of knowledge as distinguished from ignorance or misunderstanding.
• Knowledge attained through study or practice.
• Systematic knowledge as an object of study.
• Something that may be studied or learned like systematized knowledge.

Science fiction is:

• Fiction dealing principally with the impact of actual or imagined science upon society or individuals.

An "Expert" is:

• One with special knowledge or skill causing one to be regarded as an authority; a specialist. One who knows by experience.

Many decisions made by state and federal regulatory agencies and organizations composed of committees/"experts" are not based on "science" but instead appear to be based on opinion, loose facts, and sometimes even "science fiction."

If a decision is being made that impacts professionals and patients access to their medications, it MUST be based on SCIENCE and be RATIONAL/REASONABLE! If not, it is nothing more than an exercise to demonstrate one's position of power over others.

Loyd V. Allen, Jr., PhD, RPh
Editor-in-Chief
International Journal of Pharmaceutical Compounding
Remington: The Science and Practice of Pharmacy Twenty-second edition

News

Compounding Fallout Affects CutisPharma
CutisPharma, founded in 1998, was based on the idea that it could reduce errors in compounding via the use of kits with pre-measured components that pharmacists could mix by following precise instructions. It has grown to 38 employees, selling nearly 1 million kits a year to chain, hospital, and independent pharmacies. However, all of that came to a halt as CutisPharma got caught in the fallout from the scandal surrounding NECC in 2012. The nation's largest publisher of drug data, citing a federal law passed resulting from the outbreak, dropped CutisPharma kits from its list of approved products in June, leading to a quick and sharp drop in CutisPharma's sales. The company has not only had to put expansion plans on hold but lay off workers and more job cuts may be coming. "We've been collateral damage," their CEO said. "I don't think our product is what they were thinking of when they took the decisions they did." This is an example of the precariousness of small businesses and their vulnerability to forces beyond their control as well as how decisions of powerful industry players make the difference between success and failure.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2015/08/23/cutispharma-hit-compounding-fallout/fbLA4Id9KlVasmOVhI5VII/story.html

Who's Charging More for ACA? Bigger Might be Better, But It Can Also Be Pricier
Recent reports show that the largest insurer in each of the states served by HealthCare.gov raised their prices in 2015 much more sharply—by an average of 10 full percentage points—than smaller competitors on that federal Obamacare marketplace. The higher price hikes for monthly premiums don't appear to be justified by the level of health claims made by customers of those bigger plans, according to the study published in the journal Technology Science, by Harvard University's Institute for Quantitative Social Science. The report also stands in contrast to the belief that economies of scale will result in lower prices.
http://www.cnbc.com/2015/08/28/whos-charging-more-for-obamacare-plans-surprise.html

Kudos to Texas!
SB 94 has passed both chambers of the Texas Legislature and is now headed to the Governor for final approval. SB 94 prohibits a Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) from directly or indirectly charging a pharmacist or pharmacy a fee for any part of the electronic prescription claims process. PBMs have been requiring pharmacists to pay a fee for each healthcare claim that is submitted electronically in violation of the Insurance Code. SB 94 was carefully crafted to correct this wrong.
http://www.hinojosa.senate.state.tx.us/pr15/p050115a.htm

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Did You Know ...

�that we live in a different world than we did 50 years ago; 25 years ago; 10 years ago, 5 years ago; and even last year? Just think of what has happened!

Tip of the Week

Too many people don't keep up with what is going on locally, nationally, or internationally. Keep informed! Keep updated! Keep active! If you don't help shape your future, someone else will do it for you! Just remember:

• Some people make things happen!
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What type of person are you?

Looking Back

No use knowing,
How to pick 'em,
If your half-shaved whiskers,
Are gonna stick 'em!
     Burma Shave