Well, it's time again to make some New Year's Resolutions that we can break during January or February. Instead of making some personal resolutions (like losing weight, spending less time at the office, working out, saving money), let's look at some "reasonable resolutions" to consider for 2006 for compounding pharmacy.

1. I will become intimately familiar with the minimum practice standards in USP Chapters <795> and <797> and incorporate them into my practice.
2. I will make an effort to assess what I know vs what I need to know about quality pharmacy compounding to better serve my patients.
3. I will make an asserted effort to fill in the gap that exists in resolution #2.
4. I will implement a solid quality control program in my pharmacy.
5. I will not be content with the "status quo" in compounding but will endeavor to expand my practice to better serve my patients.
6. I will share my experiences with physicians, pharmacists, patients, and educators/academicians so we can all better serve patients through individualized care.
7. I will support the organizations that support pharmacy compounding by being involved and providing finances for their efforts on behalf of us all.
8. I will evaluate my practice and incorporate all the necessary Standard Operating Procedures to ensure quality compounded preparations.
9. I will incorporate whatever safeguards are necessary for the protection of my personnel and patients.
10. I will read each issue of the International Journal of Pharmaceutical Compounding (IJPC) and the CompoundingToday.com newsletter!

All the above resolutions are very important for us to be able to continue to provide quality individualized patient care. Even #10 is critical as many of the questions that come up on a daily basis have already been answered in various issues of IJPC and the CT.com newsletter.

We at IJPC are committed to assist you in quality pharmacy compounding in whatever way we can. We have many tools available that can save you thousands and thousands of dollars and man-hours of time. If there is anything that you need that we are not providing, please let us know.

This next year promises to be very productive for IJPC as we will be adding new services to support pharmacy compounding worldwide. We are expanding our office space in Edmond, Oklahoma and currently have five pharmacists on staff (plus two who occasionally work with us on special projects) and many other specialized personnel who do an outstanding job. This is all in addition to all those pharmacists, technicians, physicians, nurses, etc. that write articles for IJPC. We are truly fortunate to have such knowledgeable and dedicated staff and we want to support you by providing information and services so you can spend your time compounding quality preparations.

As we begin our tenth year of publication next week, we want to thank you again for all your support and renew our commitment to implementing and enhancing the scientific basis of quality pharmacy compounding to better serve individual patients.

Loyd V. Allen, Jr., Ph.D., R.Ph
Editor-in-Chief

For complete information updated December 7, 2005 go to.. http://www.ashp.org/shortage/dexamethasone.cfm

On average the CompoundingToday.com web site gets 42,000 hits in one week. During the last seven days, the following resources were accessed:

• 4403 Formula Downloads
• 2033 Standard Operating Procedures
• 522 Abstracts and Citations
• 214 Bacterial Endotoxin in Sterile Preparations Tool
• 212 Flavoring Tool - Veterinary Recommendations
• 194 Preservative and Antioxidant Tool
• 186 Compliance Articles (DEA, FDA, NIOSH, and USP)
• 185 Oral Vehicle Tool
• 178 Veterinary Transdermal Tool
• 165 Flavoring Tool - Sweetening Agents

The following are the top ten words searched for on CompoundingToday.com in the last week:

• Oxytocin
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Cool Your Heartburn
Millions of us take antacids to relieve heartburn, but maybe that isn't always such a good idea. We need stomach acid to break down our food, particularly proteins, into nutrients that can be absorbed to fuel the body. An antacid reduces the level of acid in the stomach, but too little gastric acid may interfere with healthy digestion. What, then, can we do to relieve "acid indigestion" (gastroesophageal reflux)?

Most of us think that heartburn is caused by excess stomach acid. That may not actually be the case. People older than 50 years may be deficient in stomach acid, the level of which decreases with age. Elizabeth Lipski, a certified nutritionist in Hawaii, reports that the discomfort from too little stomach acid is nearly identical to that produced by too much. Too much or too little, it's the reflux of digestive juices into the esophagus that causes burning in the throat.

Before downing another dose of antacid, consider one of the following suggestions:

• Try a supplement (perhaps a teaspoonful of lemon juice or vinegar) that adds acid instead of reducing it. Compounding pharmacists can also help by preparing supplements that contain betaine, an oral source of hydrochloric acid. If your stomach is deficient in acid, compounded betaine can bring prompt relief.
• Licorice helps to maintain the proper level of stomach acid and coats the lining of the esophagus. Caution: Regular consumption of some forms of licorice is associated with an increase in the level of blood pressure. To treat indigestion, use deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL), which does not increase blood pressure.
• Aloe and slippery elm are often helpful in relieving the symptoms of acid reflux. Those supplements, like licorice, coat and soothe the esophagus to protect it from gastric reflux.

You're on your way to full-time relief when you discover the source of your acid reflux - which might not be too much acid!

Flow Sciences Inc Announces the Vented Compounding Pharmacist Workstation

Flow Sciences, Inc. has released the new Vented compounding Pharmacist Workstation designed specifically for the Jaansun 300 Capsule Machine, the modified face opening allows the operator to manipulate powders at a comfortable height. Perfect for mortar-and-pestle compounding and powder encapsulation. A gentle, non-turbulent airflow prevents balance fluctuations and loss of materials.

"Flow Sciences, Inc.'s advanced technological approach continues to allow us to develop customer-driven enclosure solutions for the compounding pharmacist." remarked Peter Burke, Product Manager, of Flow Sciences, Inc.

Flow Sciences, Inc. (FSI) designs and manufactures containment solutions for Research and Development Laboratories, Pilot Plants, and Laboratory Automation Equipment and Robotics, and Compounding Pharmacists, where toxic or noxious potent powders, fluids, aerosols, and gases require safe handling while weighing, handling, mixing and manufacturing.

For more information please visit www.flowsciences.com or call Steve Janz at 910.763.1717

Cleaning Up Spills
Ever need to clean up a big spill in a hurry? An easy way of doing this is simply to drop a baby diaper onto the spill; place the absorbent side where it comes into contact with the liquid. Then, simply roll it up and use the adhesive tabs to tape it together and discard it. One can also use litter box material but then it is necessary to scoop it up and the diapers are very convenient for this purpose.