Editorial: Florida Pharmacists Association Annual Meeting 2009

Congratulations to Jim Powers and others for putting together a fantastic program on compounding at the FPA meeting this week in St. Augustine, Florida. Attendance was more than double what their program planners predicted. The room was full and that, in itself, was amazing, as the program started at 7:30 AM!

Topics for the program included the practice of pharmacy compounding today, putting USP Chapter <797> into practice, state and federal regulations with legal updates, new compounding standards, PCAB accreditation, and compounding for veterinary, sports medicine, and pain management patients. Also included was a presentation on Florida compounding regulations.

A great program with a great audience! And, the Annual Meeting is still going on today, being scheduled from Wednesday through Sunday of this week. It's great to see active and successful state pharmacy association meetings.

Oh, did I mention that the Program is held at the Renaissance Resort at World Golf Village in St. Augustine; a beautiful location with great facilities.


Loyd V. Allen, Jr., PhD, RPh
Editor-in-Chief

More Black Box Warnings!
The painkillers, Darvocet, Darvon, and propoxyphene generics will stay on the market but with stronger black box warnings. This decision is different than that of Britain, which actually banned the drugs several years ago.

Propoxyphene, a 50-year-old prescription drug in the U.S., is even considered by some to be a weak pain reliever. The FDA has ordered a stern box warning on the drug's label, and soon patients will start receiving a special pamphlet that stresses the risk of taking excessive quantities of the drug.

Alleviating pain is an important medical issue and at the recommended dose, "this is an acceptable option for patients," said agency drug chief, Dr. Janet Woodcock. Dr. Woodcock also stressed that other painkillers come with their own side effects; a reminder that just last week another panel of FDA's advisers warned against liver damage from overdoses of over-the-counter acetaminophen.
http://ncpa.yellowbrix.com/pages/ncpa/Story.nsp?story_id=132689426&ID=ncpa

�that some faculty and deans of colleges of pharmacy don't really know the importance and extent of pharmacy compounding in pharmacy practice today? Compounding pharmacists are some of the best clinical pharmacists in today's pharmacy practice.

A Free Lunch?
Educate the faculty and college of pharmacy administration in your state about pharmacy compounding. This can be done easily by inviting a faculty member or dean (or assistant or associate dean) to tour your pharmacy and then take them out to lunch. We need to work together to explain and demonstrate the growth and importance of pharmaceutical compounding to our educational institutions. We need pharmacists to be well-trained in quality compounding for the positions that are available and opening up.