In this week's issue of Pharmacy Times, there is an article on "The Resurgence of Drug Misinformation Campaigns." Does this article refer to all the misinformation that Big PHARMA is spreading about compounding pharmacy? No�it is about the attack of Big PHARMA on the use of generic medicines through adoption of generic substitution and other laws in the states.

The states are looking at ensuring that their citizens receive the highest quality of care at the most affordable price. This has resulted in the utilization of generics that have saved consumers and taxpayers billions of dollars in prescription drug costs. However, the special interests of Big PHARMA are attempting to separate out certain therapeutic classes from these savings.

They are going after the Narrow Therapeutic Index (NTI) drugs first by arguing that certain classes of drugs are not safe for generic substitution. They are attempting to maintain their market share as their patents expire by waging misinformation campaigns at the state level, throughout the country, by influencing state legislatures. Almost half the states have passed legislation that prevents the substitution of generic medicine for patients with conditions such as epilepsy, mental health disorders, and HIV/AIDS.

These deliberate misleading scare tactics are very similar to those being used by the Big PHARMA companies in their attempts to do away with physicians' and patients' choices for individualized compounded medications. Big PHARMA is attempting to create a public perception that generics are of poor quality and dangerous substitutes for brand name drugs.

The US Food and Drug Administration addressed the issue of NTI drugs in 1998, stating that "products evaluated as therapeutically equivalent can be expected to have equivalent clinical effect whether the product is a brand name or generic drug product." We all know that generic drugs also undergo rigorous testing to demonstrate their equivalence to the brand name drugs; in fact, the same testing is required of the brand-name drug if any change is made in the formula or production process.

The summary statement in this article emphasizes that these companies should not be allowed to put profits before public health. We agree!

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

DEA Proposes 90-Day Prescriptions for Schedule II Controlled Substances

The Drug Enforcement Administration on September 6 proposed a rule to allow physicians, when medically appropriate, to prescribe up to a 90-day supply of Schedule II controlled substances during a single office visit.

Read the proposal at: http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20061800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2006/E6-14520.htm

Find information on drug product shortages at: www.ashp.org/shortage and http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/shortages/default.htm

There have been 58 citations on the subjects of general wound healing and care and 14 on Lymphedema added to CompoundingToday.com's literature search database this week. Here is a sampling of them:

Clinical approach to wounds: Debridement and wound bed preparation including the use of dressings and wound-healing adjuvants.
Attinger CE, Janis JE, Steinberg J et al. Plast Reconstr Surg 2006; 117(7 Suppl): 72S-109S.

A topical metronidazole gel used to treat malodorous wounds.
Bale S, Tebbie N, Price P. Br J Nurs 2004; 13(11): S4-S11.

Topical and systemic medications for wounds.
Krahwinkel DJ, Boothe HW Jr. Vet Clin North Am Small Anim Pract 2006; 36(4): 739-757.

Do malnutrition and nutritional supplementation have an effect on the wound healing process?
Mandal A. J Wound Care 2006; 15(6): 254-257.

Arginine supplementation and wound healing.
Stechmiller JK, Childress B, Cowan L. Nutr Clin Pract 2005; 20(1): 52-61.

EPS NARCOTIC CONTROL CABINETS
Responding to its customers' needs, EPS, Inc. has expanded its line of narcotic control cabinets. These cabinets are designed to hold appropriate quantities of controlled substances in limited spaces. They can be placed wherever such products need to be accessible but secure�even in ambulances and transport vehicles.

These cabinets can be mounted on walls, if desired. Some models are equipped with double doors, and all doors use separate keys for additional security. The keys cannot be removed when the lock is in the open position. Manufactured from 22-gauge stainless steel with aluminum shelves, the EPS Narcotic Control Cabinets are sturdy, durable, and ideal for security when space is at a premium.

For additional information, please contact: EPS, INC., 70 Industrial Drive, Ivyland, PA 18974; Toll-Free Phone: (800) 523-8966, Toll-Free Fax: (800) 323-8966; E-Mail: info@medidose.com, Website: www.medidose.com

Beginning with the July/August 2006 issue of IJPC, we began the publication of a series of articles that are dedicated to helping hospital pharmacies meet the standards or guidelines presented by the following organizations: American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, USP, Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and IACP. The July/August 2006 article was an introduction to hospital compounding and our September/October 2006 issue focused on the education, training, and evaluation of hospital compounding personnel. Future articles in this series will focus on initial set-up, nonsterile compounding, sterile compounding, hazardous compounding, and unit-dose packaging.

Sign up today at www.IJPC.com and start your journal print and electronic subscriptions. You can download what you are currently subscribed to and purchase electronic access to our complete set of back issues.

Support Your Local Hospital
Have a hospital in your area? Many hospitals are understaffed and can have difficulty in meeting the compounding requirements of United States Chapters <795> and <797>. The utilization of outsourced compounded preparations for individualized patients is rapidly increasing (e.g., CAPS, PharMedium Services, etc.). Why not consider visiting with the director of pharmacy about a professional relationship to assist meeting their needs for both nonsterile and sterile compounding? It has been quite beneficial for many pharmacists, hospitals, and patients.