Most states will allow pharmacists to administer the forthcoming Covid-19 vaccine ... but not all. In seven, including some where the virus is hitting hard, the state legislatures will have to act.
A phone call with the DHA and Tricare revealed that those outrageous clawbacks haven't been cancelled — they've only been postponed.
APC has decided to turn Compounders on Capitol Hill into a virtual event. In fact, a series of virtual events. Stay tuned for details.
Three members of Congress have started a letter to FDA they're asking their peers to sign. It's great news for compounders!
USP is holding a day-long open virtual forum on the BUD provisions in <795> and <797>, following APC's successful appeal last year. It's on Tuesday, September 15, and you'll be able to ask questions and make comments and recommendations. Register here.
APC is co-sponsoring the Ohio Pharmacists Association's Midwest Independent Pharmacy Expo and Compound Conference. It's Oct 3-4 in Columbus, Ohio, and it's shaping up to be one of the largest independent pharmacy and compounding events of the year. Check out the great speakers, 9.5 hours of practical, applicable CE, tons of exhibitors, and a lot more. Check it out!
FDA has added dexamethasone sodium phosphate to its "Lists of Drugs for Temporary Compounding by Outsourcing Facilities and Pharmacy Compounders" during the Covid-19 emergency. More info here, including a link to the policy.
We're already starting to see how a pandemic is changing the landscape — working from home being unremarkable, home cooking replacing restaurants, wearing a mask a necessity in public. And small businesses, without large safety nets, are being clobbered. Is Covid-19 "The end of small business"? One Washington Post column considers that possibility.
Thinking about veterinary compounding? Check out what compounding pharmacist Mark Gonzalez has to say in: "Crucial Insights I Discovered from Compounding for Zoos."
Cool beans: Registration is open for the Ohio Pharmacists Association's "Midwest Independent Pharmacy Expo and Compound Conference" in Columbus, Ohio. It's two conferences in one: Oct 3 is for indy pharmacists, and Oct 4 is for compounders. Check it out here: (https://fllw.me/2WdgfxO).
Eventually, surviving Americans will be able to get a Covid-19 vaccine. Whether that's in six months or a year, the time is now to start convincing skeptics that it's important to keep us all safe. Read "A Coronavirus Vaccine Won’t Work if People Don’t Take It," in the New York Times.
It takes a village … or at least a support team. Learn what it's like from their perspective with new CE from APC: https://a4pc.org/supportteam.
It ran a piece on the Tricare clawbacks that specifically pointed to our resource page.
The release of NASEM’s FDA-funded Compounded Bioidentical Hormone Therapy study feels a lot like the movie Groundhog Day, only without Bill Murray for laughs. Which is to say: We’ve seen this sort of thing before.
The Pew Charitable Trusts has an interesting article on why hospitals and physicians' offices say they're facing shortages of office-use compounded meds: It has to do with problems in the 503B market. (https://fllw.me/2CS2LAF)
APC members are now receiving letters from ESI saying that the obnoxious Tricare recoupments have been suspended until further notice. Read what this means in a new paper at https://a4pc.org/clawbackhelp.
A few of the issues APC is working on will require a detailed response on behalf of the association and our members. We're appointing three new limited-duration workgroups — they're expected to convene virtually over the next few months.
On June 24, Wednesday, APC held a virtual Advocacy Town Hall, where we updated members on the progress we've been making on our most important issues. Read about animal health, the FDA MOU, Tricare clawbacks, and more.
Our friends at @PCCARx have a blog post you probably want to check out: "Changes to the Paycheck Protection Program" (https://www.pccarx.com/Blog/changes-to-the-paycheck-protection-program).
What do you call 200 compounding pharmacists on Capitol Hill? A GOOD START. We need your voice on September 9 and 10 at Compounders on Capitol Hill. Find out more, register, and make yourself heard: https://a4pc.org/cch
If you happen to have visited the Regulations.gov site recently and saw "You are being redirected to Beta.Regulations.gov," you may have wondered why. So did the folks at @FDALawBlog — and they got the answer: http://www.fdalawblog.net/2020/06/tuesdays-and-thursdays-with-regulations-gov-beta/
Make it clear to Congress: Bad legislation and rulemaking for compounding hurts patients and hurts community pharmacies! Add YOUR voice at Compounders on Capitol Hill. GET THE DETAILS AND REGISTER TODAY AT HTTPS://A4PC.ORG/cch
Join APC for an important follow-up conference call on the ESI/Tricare clawback issue, with critical legal and advocacy information you can use. Visit http://a4pcnews.com/2020-06/apc-follow-up-briefing-call-esi-tricare-clawback for details and free registration.
FDA has withdrawn its emergency approval of hydroxychloroquine as a Covid-19 treatment. Both hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, the agency said, are "unlikely to be effective in treating Covid-19" and have serious side effects. (https://www.statnews.com/2020/06/15/fda-revokes-hydroxychloroquine/)
Not really surprising: Covid-19 cases are surging across the country about 2 weeks after states began reopening. But total US cases are down because NY's cases are down. (https://fllw.me/2YEhJkL)
FDA has agreed to extend the public-comment period for draft GFI #256 an additional 120 days.
“It looks like a shakedown to me.” – Jeff Baird, Brown & Fortunato
Many compounders recently have received a recoupment notice from ESI regarding Tricare/CHAMPUS compounded prescriptions.… (Read the rest)
In a joint letter to OMB, organized by APC, four national pharmacy associations say FDA has underestimated the administrative burden that would be incurred by state boards of pharmacy under the recently released ‘final’ MOU on shipments of out-of-state compounded drugs.
Join APC for an important briefing on the ESI TRICARE/CHAMPUS clawback recoupment notices, tomorrow, Thursday, June 11, at 5 pm EDT. Details here: http://a4pcnews.com/2020-06/thursday-briefing-call-esi-tricare-clawbacks
Patients afraid to shake? They're not alone. Read a survey (full of charts!) of 511 infectious disease specialists to see when they "Expect to Fly, Hug and Do 18 Other Everyday Activities Again": https://nyti.ms/2AfC7R7 (Spoiler: The handshake is dead.)
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