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Editorial: University of Oklahoma College of Pharmacy-Tulsa Campus Wins First Place at 2012 National Student Compounding Competition
Editor's Note: This editorial is longer than usual, but it summarizes the intense competition last weekend at the 2012 National Student Compounding Competition.
On the weekend of March 17 and 18, 2012, fourteen teams of pharmacy students, each representing their respective College or School of Pharmacy, competed in the second annual Student Pharmacist Compounding Competition (SPCC). The event is hosted by the University of Florida College of Pharmacy in Gainesville, Florida, and is organized and sponsored by The MEDISCA Group of Companies.
Subsequent to two days of competing in extremely intense compounding-related challenges, the University of Oklahoma College of Pharmacy-Tulsa Campus obtained the highest cumulative score, thus making them the overall champions of the compounding competition. The pharmacy students that comprised the winning team include Christopher Pack, Michael Savettiere, and Weiwei Wu. St. Louis College of Pharmacy's Alyssa Griepentrog, Zenia George, and Alexis Bylina placed second in the competition, and Texas Tech University School of Pharmacy's Megan Young, Perry Sanford, and Miranda Smith won third place.
The 2012 National Student Pharmacist Compounding Competition consisted of a laboratory challenge comprised of three formulation developments and their corresponding dosage form preparations; a regulatory challenge, whereby all students addressed their position on a series of controversial issues with regards to regulatory standards of practice; and a quality-related challenge, which was a highly interactive event that provided the students the opportunity to publicly address and defend a regulatory standard of practice, with a poster presentation.
The MEDISCA Group of Companies and William H. Riffee, Dean of the College of Pharmacy at the University of Florida, were proud to present the following guests and keynote speakers at the 2012 National Championship Event: Loyd V. Allen, Jr., Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Pharmaceutical Compounding (IJPC); Rick G. Schnatz, Senior Scientific Liaison for the Compounding Expert Committee of the United States Pharmacopeia's (USP) Healthcare Quality Standards; Jeanne Sun, Assistant Scientific Liaison for the Compounding Expert Committee of the USP Healthcare Quality Standards; David G. Miller, Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of the International Academy of Compounding Pharmacists (IACP); Joe Cabaleiro, Executive Director of the Pharmacy Compounding Accreditation Board (PCAB); Mark Filosi, Compounding Pharmacist at Family Care Pharmacy in Plant City, Florida; Zara Foreman, IVC Pharmacist at the Shands Hospital Central Pharmacy in Gainesville, Florida; and Pino Bocchino, Inside Sales Manager for USA at MEDISCA Inc.
The MEDISCA Group of Companies and the University of Florida College of Pharmacy possess the shared mission to provide pharmacy students exposure to elements of high-quality compounding pharmacy practice and to strengthen its integrity. This competition provides pharmacy students a forum for expression as newcomers to the compounding pharmacy practice community, and encourages them to step forward and become leaders on the initiative to bring forth excellence and expertise to this field. According to Loyd V. Allen, Jr., "there is insufficient exposure to compounding and that is why programs, such as this one, are great—because they receive that exposure." Joe Cabaleiro, another central figure in the compounding pharmacy practice world, brought students, faculty, and guests to tears, as he described a personal experience in which he was subjected, first hand, to the importance of quality pharmacy compounding practices. Joe emphasized the importance of compounding "like your life depends on it, because someday it probably will."
For further information about the upcoming 2013 SPCC, please email spcc@medisca.com.
MEDISCA is an industry leader in the repackaging and distribution of pharmaceutical compounding supplies. They are committed to providing the highest quality of fine chemicals, active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), bases, devices, and equipment.
Loyd V. Allen, Jr., PhD, RPh
Editor-in-Chief
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The ability to provide evidence for the efficacy of transdermal delivery of medications has taken another step forward. In the next issue of IJPC, an article supported by Fagron, Inc. (formerly Gallipot) will show the efficacy of testosterone and ketoprofen in Pentravan, a transdermal vehicle developed many years ago and in use now not only in the USA but in Europe and South America. The study, performed by Cetero Research and written by Paul Lehman, MSc and Sam Raney, PhD, shows, again, the value of liposomal penetration enhancement to provide efficacious delivery of certain drugs. This study provides additional credibility to support transdermal delivery of medications and can now be added to the tools we use to educate prescribers and serve patients through the art and science of pharmaceutical compounding. A preview of the article appears on the IJPC website; take a look by following this link:
http://www.ijpc.com/Webcontent/Docs/IJPC_16_3_PLO_Pentravan_Cream_Preview.pdf
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Dr Reddy's Mexico Facility to Be Inspected
The FDA has informed the Hyderabad-based company that they plan to carry out an inspection of its facility in Cuernavaca, Mexico, in the last week of March. The FDA had issued an import alert, known as detention without physical examination, for some products made at the facility. The facility produces intermediates, APIs, and steroids.
http://www.livemint.com/2012/03/20225836/USFDA-to-inspect-Dr-Reddy821.html
India Supports its Generic Drugs; Seeks Africa's Support
The Commerce Minister of India says that India will resist any attempt made to malign its generic drugs industry since the industry provides a means for poor sections of the society to access cheap medicines. The opinion was presented at Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). He stated that "There is a campaign to showcase generics as substandard; that they are not real. We are determined to ensure that poor people in my country and in Africa have access to these medicines." He sought support from African leadership present in the forum to stand by India on the issue. The U.S. has the highest numbers of FDA approvals, followed by Indian companies which have second highest approvals.
http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2012-03-18/news/31207480_1_generic-drugs-african-countries-trade-related-aspects
Apotex Inc. Voluntarily Recalls One Lot of Hypertension Medication Apo-Ramipril 5 mg
Health Canada has announced that Apotex is conducting a voluntary recall of one lot (Lot JR21798) of Apo-Ramipril 5-mg capsules. This lot has been found to contain intact but empty capsules. The issue came up when a customer complained, and the same problem was found in some sample products retained by the manufacturer. Apo-Ramipril 5-mg capsules are not transparent, so it may be difficult to determine whether a capsule from the affected lot is empty.
http://www.fiercepharma.com/press_releases/apotex-inc-voluntarily-recalls-one-lot-hypertension-medication-apo-ramipril?utm_medium=nl&utm_source=internal
Migraine Powder from Tribute Pharma Approved
Canada's Tribute Pharmaceuticals has received approval from Health Canada to market Cambia, a patented water-soluble powder composed of a buffered diclofenac potassium powder that dissolves in water; it is designed to provide rapid relief for migraine attacks. According to APR, the company's patented powder formula uses bicarbonate to allow for faster diclofenac potassium absorption into the bloodstream, making for a fast-acting drug. They claim that it will be the only prescription nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug on the market with an indication for the acute treatment of migraines.
http://www.fiercedrugdelivery.com/story/health-canada-oks-migraine-powder/2012-03-16
Restocking the Old Vending Machine With Live Bait and Prescription Pills
A cultural icon, the vending machine, is disappearing from the American landscape; 134,000 traditional vending machines disappeared between 2007 and 2010. New entrepreneurs are trying to build a new vending industry, outfitting machines with high-tech features, and filling them with live bait, prescription drugs, electronics, and even art.
One individual said he was more than a little skeptical the first time he saw a live-bait vending machine, in 2009, installed at a gas station not far from home. The night crawlers were on the second row, above the minnows and below the mealworms. But he said that the juicy critters were in good condition, and he has used them ever since.
Minnesota-based InstyMeds Corp. dispenses prescription medicines from its machines which are are electronically linked to a doctor's computer system, and validate each patient's identity and the prescription using a unique code that the doctor assigns to the patient. The company has 200 machines in 24 states and has dispensed 1.5 million prescriptions since the machines began operating in 2007.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303812904577294372607019062.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
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