EDITORIAL COMMENTS

This "Recommendation" is really "out of bounds!" Conflicts of interest are already required when a peer-reviewed article is published, when serving on national committees, and in other important situations. However, to "disclose conflicts of interest to each individual patient at the point of care" is ludicrous. Do physicians and pharmacists disclose conflicts of interest (stock ownership, etc.) when prescribing and dispensing FDA-approved products? No, they don't. All this recommendation would do is to confuse the patient who has no interest in the physicians or pharmacists investments, etc.

Physicians in group or solo practice that have a financial interest in their business do not explain their ownership to each patient. Pharmacies owned by pharmacists do not explain to patients that they own the pharmacy when they dispense FDA-approved medications to patients. Why, then, would someone even think it is important to tell the patient "I own stock in "XYZ Company" that makes or provides some of the ingredients or supplies I use to compound your prescription"?

It is unclear what is meant by "financial relationships (e.g., ownership or investment interests held in specific cBHT formulations or companies). One does not "own" cBHT formulations. In the past, there may have been some patents issued, but those are all public information. Ownership of stock, especially if a minority shareholder or in mutual funds, is of no consequence, and disclosure would be inconsequential. Major stock ownership of a compounding support company would generally involve pharmacists that are not involved in compounding individual prescriptions for patients. For a pharmacist owning an individual compounding pharmacy business, that relationship is generally quite clear and apparent.

A potential situation may occur if a physician has ownership in a compounding pharmacy and directs the cBHT prescriptions to that pharmacy. However, in that case, it should be the responsibility of the physician to disclose the relationship, not the pharmacist.

Regarding state boards of pharmacy, many, if not all, already have ownership information with the registration of each pharmacy with the board.

Next week, we will conclude our comments on the Recommendations of the report.