December 7, 2023

A few sips

Years ago, I went to an informal dinner party at a friend’s house in which one of the guests saw a teapot of something good-smelling simmering on the stove, poured herself a cup, and took a swig — only to discover it wasn’t some aromatic tea at all. Thirty years later, my group of friends still recall and refer to it as “that time Virginia drank the potpourri.”

This week’s column is like that: A potpourri, a mixture. Drink up.

  1. That OneFund deficit persists. Thanks to those of you who responded to our Board Chair’s call last week to help eliminate our $100,000 OneFund deficit. In the past week we’ve received about $20,000 in new money (thank you, TaylorMade, Brad McCloskey, and others!), but we still have a ways to go. If you’re inclined to help, here’s where to invest.
  2. New ‘Best Practices’ Work Group. With some particular compounding therapies and practices on the radar of reporters and state boards of pharmacy, APC Board Chair Anthony Grzib is appointing a work group to help APC respond to media and other inquiries. In particular, the work group is expected to propose clarifying information and “best practices” guidance on three issues: ketamine compounding, IV vitamin nutrition (so-called “hangover clinics”), and the practice of clinic-billing of compounded medications. Pharmacist Gina Bestemen of Women’s International will chair the work group.
  3. An election year approaches. 2024 is nigh, and with it the craziness of congressional (not to mention presidential) elections. You can help mitigate some of that craziness by investing NOW in CompPAC, APC’s political action committee, so that we have the funds we need to help elect non-crazy (mostly) compounding champions to the new Congress. Here’s where to do that.
  4. What happens in Vegas … Your APC Board of Directors travels to Las Vegas this coming week for A4M’s LongevityFest 2023 and its final board meeting of the year. The board will be considering proposals for growing our media outreach, expanding compounding.com to become a go-to consumer site for all things compounding, and to implement technologies that enhance the member experience. Stay tuned for a report.
  5. PCF offers compounding education grants. The Pharmacy Compounding Foundation is accepting proposals from state pharmacy associations for seven $1,500 compounding education grants for 2024. Among the stipulations is that the education must be offered at the state association’s annual convention. Deadline for applications is December 31. (If you wanna nudge your state association exec to apply for one of the grants, fine with us.)

That’s just a taste of some of what’s going on with APC. Here’s hoping your weekend sips don’t come with any surprises.

— Scott

Scott Brunner, CAE, is APC’s chief executive officer. Contact him at scott@a4pc.org.