From APC's President

In Thanksgiving...

This is going to be my favorite column of the year, hands down. Since January, most of what I have been writing about has been warning you about threats our profession faces and getting you ready to fight the fights. Not this time. This time I’m going to be up-close and personal.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because I have so much for which to be thankful. I am disappointed that in the last 30 years, Thanksgiving has largely been glossed over and we go directly from Halloween to Christmas. Worse yet, some have taken to calling Thanksgiving “turkey day.” But the holiday is soooooooo much more than the meal.

It is essential (for our mental health, among other things!) that we pause periodically and just...be grateful. If I were to write down all of the things for which I am thankful, it would fill a book. I’ll spare you that book, but I do want to give thanks for much about our profession.

I am thankful that I chose compounding pharmacy as my career. The joy, healing, and professional gratification compounding brings to my patients and me lifts me up every day and keeps me excited to keep doing what I do.

I am thankful for the patients who depend on our services. They bring us unique opportunities and challenges every day, and everything we do, we do for them. I know they are thankful for us, too.

I am thankful for APC. Without it, our profession would be a small husk of what it is today. The threats are real, but APC fights our fights and runs interference when the attackers attack.

I am thankful for the dedicated and awesome APC staff. They do so much with so little and do not receive much recognition. They are a tremendous group of professionals who keep our alliance operating and ensure you are informed and prepared for what life may throw at you.

Lastly, I am thankful for you. Every one of you has blessed me greatly during the last year. You have given me support and wise council. You have challenged me to be better. I truly am thankful for you.

For all of these things, I am thankful. I’ll bet you are, too. So, think about that this coming week, and give thanks for the blessings we have.

Happy Thanksgiving!

–   Dave 

• • •

David Miller is APC’s president and the managing co-owner of Keystone Compounding Pharmacy in Grand Rapids, Michigan. You can reach him at drdave@keystonepharm.com.

THIS JUST IN…

LIVE CE credit for EduCon CE sessions will now be available on February 9 and 10. Registrants who participate on-demand will be eligible for home study CE credit only.

ICYMI

Catch up on these recent stories that you might've missed:

• Bormel says "DTE remains available." But how?
• Registration opens for "Best Practices" Conference

This week

Amoxicillin shortage:

Can compounders help?

The start of cold and flu season has led to an immense spike in respiratory illness and also a shortage of amoxicillin oral suspension.

In the wake of the infant formula shortage, we must make sure we do everything we can to keep our pediatric patients healthy. We’d like to think compounders can help mitigate the problem, but we need your help.

Hospitals and some pharmacies would like to be able to compound amoxicillin suspension from the commercially available amoxicillin tablets or capsules. Trouble is, FDA's Insanitary Conditions Guidance requires compounders to completely and comprehensively separate beta-lactams from non beta-lactam products, which many pharmacies, including those in hospitals, cannot accommodate.

APC has reached out to FDA about this concern and to ask the agency to consider temporary enforcement discretion that might allow 503A pharmacies to meet this current shortage need. 

But we need some data to help quantify the scope of the problem, so we’ve launched a short survey of compounders. Please complete it ASAP so that we can share the result with FDA—and perhaps provide a solution that can save lives. The survey will only be open through Wednesday, November 23 at 8PM ET.

FOR TECHNICIANS ONLY: Here’s a career-changing opportunity for you

The difference between holding a job and a having a career has as much to do with you as it does with where you work. Sure, you can make a living being “just a technician,” but there’s a great career to be found in growing your skillset and becoming indispensable in the compounding pharmacy where you work.

You can join the ranks of the elite technicians...and we can show you how.

Join us on December 6 at 2pm ET for Practically Indispensable: How You Can Become an Elite Pharmacy Technician. Presenter Cicely Simpson will share tips and techniques you can employ to grow your influence, enhance your value to your pharmacy team, and turn that “just a technician” job into a rewarding career.

If you work for a pharmacy or facility that is a Pharmacy/Facility Member of APC, the fee for the hour-long webinar is only $10. For all others it’s $50.

Can't attend the live webinar? No worries, the recorded program will be available to all paid registrants afterwards.

Get registered here. It just may be a career-launching opportunity.

APC testifies on Delaware proposal

APC Board Chair-Elect Anthony Grzib spoke on behalf of APC during the open comment period of the Delaware Board of Pharmacy meeting on Wednesday November 16. APC and NCPA submitted a comment letter to the Board of Pharmacy (BOP) regarding the proposal to add new subsection 5.1.7.3 to Section 2500 of the Delaware Administrative Code.

The letter recommends striking the current 10 percent limitation on 503A pharmacies providing office stock to veterinarians, as well as continuing to align state regulations with GFI #256 and any clarifications we may receive on the guidance. The BOP will discuss and vote on the proposed rule at their next meeting in January.

APC reported on this story earlier this month.

CORRECTED: PCF announces 2023 leadership

Please join us in welcoming the Pharmacy Compounding Foundation's 2023 Board of Directors.

Executive Officers

President: Stacy Hightower, Las Colinas Pharmacy, Aubrey, TX

President-elect: Jennifer Burch, Central Compounding, Durham, NC

Treasurer: Lloyd Levidow, Scottsdale, AZ

Directors

Michael Blaire, Wedgewood Pharmacy, Scottsdale, AZ

Liza Chapman, PTCB, Atlanta, GA

Barbara Exum, VCU School of Pharmacy, Glen Allen, VA

Greg Lake, Fagron, Hideout, UT

Katie Lewis, Pharmacy Solutions, Lincoln, NE

Robert Nickell, Nubratori RX, Torrance, CA

Ex officio, nonvoting

APC Chair: Anthony Grzib, Wedgewood Pharmacy, Swedesboro, NJ

APC CEO: Scott Brunner, Alexandria, VA

We managed to omit a Board Member, Robert Nickell, from the original list and we apologize for the error.

APC signs letter supporting antitrust bill

Earlier this week, APC and two dozen other independent business organizations signed a letter to Congressional leaders, urging them to prioritize an antitrust bill that targets tech giants during the lame-duck session.

The letter emphasized that passing the antitrust bill was crucial to the livelihood of small businesses: "Our members see little future...if the tech giants continue to corner the digital markets and use their power to favor their own products and block those of smaller rivals."

Save these dates

November 24: Deadline for PCF scholarship applications.

December 1: An APC webinar: Uncovering Tax Incentive Opportunities for Your Compounding Pharmacy

December 6: An APC webinar, Practically Indispensable: How You Can Become an Elite Pharmacy Tech

December 8: An APC webinar: How to Use Medical Literature to Identify and Support Compounded Therapies

December 13: An ARL live webinar: Understanding USP <797> Microbiology Testing Requirements

December 14: An FDA CDER webinar, What to Expect after an Inspection: 483s, Responses and Beyond

2023

January 4: Early bird rates end for EduCon 2023.

February 9–10: APC's EduCon 2023, virtual

March 26–28: APC's Owner Summit 2023; The Grand Hotel Golf Resort + Spa;

Point Clear, Ala. (more details coming soon)

September 19–20: APC's Compounders on Capitol Hill 2023; Hilton National Mall; Washington, DC

Short takes

LAST CALL! PCF scholarship deadline is November 24. If you know a P3 or P4 pharmacy student, please share this information—they may be eligible to apply for one of two $2,500 scholarships being awarded in 2023. Note the deadline is Thursday, November 24!

Quick links



APC Career Center

• Job seekers

• Employers

APC's Code of Ethics

Compounding Connections archive

Continuing education

• Live webinars

• On-demand webinars

Current issues:

• GFI #256 on animal compounding

• Urgent-use compounding

• Prohibition on peptide compounding

• La Vita Case amicus filing

• Insanitary Conditions amicus filing

EduCon 2023

Prescriber Briefing Resources  

Invest in APC efforts

• CompPAC

• Campaign to save cBHT

• OneFund

Membership

• Renew

• Pharmacy/Facility Membership (PFM)

• APC Logo agreement for PFMs

• APC Logo agreement for individual members

Affinity service providers

• Accounting & Tax Services: Rx Advisors

• Audible Sunshine

• Office Equipment: TUI Solutions

• Online Payments Platform: HealNow

• Patient-Reported Outcomes: OutcomeMD

• Shipment Trackers, a shipping costs auditor  

APC is committed to addressing any concerns or complaints within one business day. Please send them — and, of course, any compliments — to info@a4pc.org.