To place a classified advertisement please contact: Lauren Bernick lbernick@ijpc.com or 405-513-4236

Editorial: It's time to help colleges refocus their curriculum!

Remember back in 1975 when the Millis Report was presented and over the next 10 to 15 years the pharmacy organizations and pharmacy schools began the process of revising the curricula to meet the proposed need for clinical pharmacists? The end result was the loss of a significant portion of the "science" of pharmacy to make room for other courses. There was an associated loss of "hands-on" laboratory experiences in favor of "shadowing" and "experiential" programs. Some teaching laboratory facilities in colleges were changed into research laboratories or faculty/staff offices and some of the new colleges of pharmacy have never implemented teaching laboratories, etc.

However, that proposed need has not developed as extensively as proposed in the Millis Report, and we are now in a position that some colleges want to introduce and expand compounding and the pharmaceutical sciences in the curriculum along with appropriate teaching laboratories. However, a number of obstacles are being faced, including (1) teaching laboratories are expensive to build and operate, and (2) many faculty are unaware of how pharmacy compounding has grown and is occupying a larger position in pharmacy practice (consequently they may be resistant to changing the curriculum and providing the necessary budget to adequately and appropriately train their pharmacy students).

So�where are we now? Some colleges now want to provide the appropriate and necessary scientific training in compounding but are limited by facilities and budgets. Many compounding pharmacists have been complaining for years about the lack of trained compounding pharmacists. So, maybe it's time we stepped up to the plate and financially supported our pharmacy schools in enhancing their compounding facilities and programs.

We need to encourage all compounding pharmacists to actively financially support the schools of pharmacy in their refocusing to include and expand compounding pharmacy.


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

K-V Sues the FDA Over Makena in Fight for Survival
K-V Pharmaceutical Co. is suing the FDA for not cracking down on compounded versions of Makena; a last-ditch fight for the company's survival. K-V got approval to sell Makena last year after it was barred from making and marketing its own drugs due to repeated manufacturing problems. However, pharmacies had already been compounding a similar, and far less expensive preparation for years. In its lawsuit, K-V said the FDA was addressing the financial concerns of insurance companies that cover the cost of medications instead of the needs of patients in declining to stop pharmacies from making less expensive versions of the drug. K-V said Makena's sales are not enough for the company to satisfy its creditors, and it would go bankrupt within three to six months if the FDA failed to act, according to the lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/07/05/fda-makena-idINL2E8I5ETJ20120705

Pharmacist Discharge Consulting Does Not Cure Home Rx Errors
Clinically important medication errors are common after hospital discharge, with adverse drug events occurring in 11% to 17% of patients during the first few weeks after discharge. In a new study, important medication errors were frequently present following discharge in patients hospitalized with heart conditions and were not significantly reduced by a pharmacist-delivered intervention. Providing hospitalized patients with individualized instruction from pharmacists, including a follow-up phone call post discharge, failed to reduce the number of medication errors after leaving the hospital, the study found. Medication errors occurred in about half of 851 study patients during the first month after hospital discharge, regardless of whether they received usual attention or some special assistance to reduce errors. The study stated that the results highlight the difficulty of improving medication safety during the transition from hospital to home. The study was published in the July 2 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine. The study was funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the National Center for Research Resources.
http://www.medpagetoday.com/PrimaryCare/PreventiveCare/33594

India to Give Free Generic Drugs to Hundreds of Millions
India has announced that it has put in place a $5.4 billion policy to provide free pharmaceuticals to its citizens. This decision could change the lives of hundreds of millions; however, the ban on branded drugs stands to cut Big Pharma out of the windfall. Throughout the country, India's public doctors will soon be able to prescribe free generic drugs to all comers, vastly expanding access to medicine in a country where public spending on health was just $4.50 per person last year.
http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/07/05/india-drugs-idINL3E8I518S20120705

New Hazardous Drugs List Issued by NIOSH
The "Sample List of Drugs that Should be Handled as Hazardous" contains 167 drugs, which is a net increase of 10 from the previous list. The list and accompanying explanations supersede earlier versions of Appendix A to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health's Alert: Preventing Occupational Exposures to Antineoplastic and Other Hazardous Drugs in Health Care Settings. A copy may be obtained at:
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2012-150/pdfs/2012-150.pdf

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In the town
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You mow 'em down!
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For Sale: Capsules and Capsule Machine
Capsules of various sizes and colors at 50% off retail value. PCCA Jaansun 300 capsule machines, loader, and plates at 40% off retail value. Unguator jars with red lid (50-60ml). If you are interested contact Gul Khwaja at gulshakark@nickellpps.com.