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Inaction is just another form of action. Peptides might be tightly regulated, but that hasn’t stopped a … let’s call it a “dark gray” market for the drugs appearing, as the New York Times reported last month. What that shows, APC CEO Scott Brunner argues on LinkedIn, is that “By its inaction, FDA is empowering the gray market”:
“FDA appears to be more comfortable with that gray-market scenario than with allowing state-licensed pharmacies to compound certain peptides from high-quality, FDA-registered and -inspected sources.”
Older folks are quitting GLP-1s. With obesity affecting something like 40% of seniors, you would think they would be a huge market for GLP-1s. And yet, KFF News reports that “Patients 65 and older were 20% to 30% more likely than younger ones to discontinue the drugs and less likely to return to them.” Why? Several reasons, it turns out, from cost to stomach pain to muscle issues. And cost. And did we mention cost?
Good CE on California laws. If you dispense in or to California, the good folks at Western University of Health Sciences’ College of Pharmacy have a couple of back-to-back virtual CE courses that — just based on the speakers — you might want to check out on January 31. They cover California’s non-sterile compounding law as it compares to USP <795> and <797>, and the speakers are Christine Runyan-Acosta, supervising inspector at the California State Board of Pharmacy, and Tony Park, an attorney for the California Pharmacy Lawyers. In other words, two folks who know this stuff and can actually answer your questions.
Home infusion bill gets hearing. The Preserving Patient Access to Home Infusion Act (H.R. 2172) moved a little bit closer to becoming law, getting a hearing by the House Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Health. Essentially, it would allow Medicare to pay for home infusion for patients who need ongoing treatment with IV therapies but don’t otherwise need to be in a facility. (And yes, APC is already on record supporting the bill.) You can watch a recap of the hearing on YouTube — Connie Sullivan, CEO of the National Home Infusion Association, begins her testimony at the 24:20 mark — or read Connie’s statement here.
10 Things You Shouldn’t Do (Ohio edition). What are the most common reasons the Ohio Board of Pharmacy cites clinics and medical spas? The board would like you to know, actually, and it’s even made the list (and details) available in an 8-page PDF. (Spoiler: The number one reason is “Purchasing from Unlicensed Sellers.”)