NABP 109th Annual Meeting Addresses Timely Topics Affecting Pharmacy Practice and Offers Up to Nine Contact Hours of CPE Credit

The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy^® (NABP^®) is offering attendees the opportunity to earn up to nine contact hours (0.9 CEUs) of Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education-accredited continuing pharmacy education (CPE) credit at its 109^thAnnual Meeting. The meeting will offer timely CPE sessions that will involve presentations and discussions by some of pharmacy’s most knowledgeable and riveting speakers. Programming includes a pre-meeting CPE session, four joint CPE sessions, and two concurrent sessions: one geared specifically for state board of pharmacy executive officers and members and one geared for compliance officers and staff. The Annual Meeting will be held May 18-21, 2013, at the Hyatt Regency St Louis at the Arch in St Louis, MO.

Saturday, May 18

In light of the recent New England Compounding Center tragedy, the special pre-meeting CPE panel session “The Compounding/Manufacturing Debate: When Is a Duck Not a Duck?” starts off the meeting from 2 to 4 PM.  During this session, attendees will hear from federal and state regulators and compounding experts as they discuss the perplexities surrounding the issue of compounding pharmacies acting as manufacturers and the resultant and ongoing regulatory challenges facing the boards of pharmacy. This session provides two contact hours (0.2 CEUs) of CPE credit.

Sunday, May 19

Continuing an annual favorite will be the Educational Poster Session held from 8 to 11:30 AM. This highly interactive CPE session will feature various poster displays that relate to this year’s Poster Session theme, “Sharing Responsibility for Public Protection.” One hour (0.1 CEU) of CPE credit will be awarded through interactive participation with presenters for at least one hour during the three and one-half hour offering and completion of the post-session test. This CPE session is sponsored by Pearson VUE.

From 3:30 to 4:30 PM, attendees will hear an update regarding enforcement successes, including what registrars, search engines, credit card companies, and others are doing to shut down rogue sites. In addition, the issue of generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD) will be discussed, including NABP’s application to obtain the .PHARMACY gTLD for keeping the rogue players out of the game. This joint CPE session titled “gTLD and LegitScript Investigations Update,” provides one contact hour (0.1 CEUs) of CPE credit.

 Monday, May 20

Bringing veterinary pharmacy to the forefront is the joint CPE session, “Veterinary Pharmacy Issues: Identifying Illegal Practices and Distinguishing Supply Chain Variations,” that will take place from 8:15 AM to 10:15 AM. This session’s discussion will center around what knowledge is necessary regarding drug therapy and pharmacokinetics in veterinary medicine and why a lack of such knowledge may place our animal counterparts at risk. Attendees will also learn the differences between the two drug supply chains, including how and why the veterinary drug supply chain is legally allowed to be separate and vary from the human drug supply chain. Sponsored by Walgreen Co, this session will offer two contact hours (0.2 CEUs) of CPE credit.

Tuesday, May 21

The executive officer and board member CPE session, “Virtual Pharmacy Practice and Wholesale Distribution – Out of Thin Air,” will be held from 8:45 to 10:15 AM and will offer one-and-one-half contact hours (0.15 CEUs) of CPE credit. A recent NABP task force tackled issues on virtual manufacturing and some alarming trends were unveiled. Attendees will learn about how some virtuals fly under the radar and what changes are necessary to protect the public by making them visible and ensuring their compliance.

The compliance officer CPE session will also be held from 8:45 to 10:15 AM. In this session, “Pill Mills, Non-Therapeutic Drug Use, and Prescription Drug Monitoring: What to Look for During Investigations,” experienced regulators will provide attendees with proven methods on using prescription drug monitoring programs and other tools when investigating pill mills and non-therapeutic drug use. This CPE session will offer one-and-one-half contact hours (0.15 CEUs) of CPE credit.

Following both concurrent sessions, is the last joint CPE session, “Are Biosimilars the Same as Generics? Point-Counterpoint,” which will offer one-and-one-half contact hours (0.15 CEUs) of CPE credit. From 10:30 AM to noon, attendees will discuss the hot topic of whether biosimilars should be allowed to be interchangeable with reference products and what regulatory challenges boards of pharmacy may need to address to deal with this issue. A panel of government and industry experts will provide session attendees with in-depth information on biologics and biosimilars, including the pros and cons of interchangeability and what regulatory hurdles need to be cleared. This CPE session is sponsored by Walgreen Co.

For more information or to register for the 109th Annual Meeting, visit the Meetings section of the NABP Web site.

NABP and the NABP Foundation is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) as a provider of continuing pharmacy education. ACPE Provider Number: 205. Participants may earn ACPE-accredited continuing pharmacy education (CPE) credit by completing a Statement of Continuing Pharmacy Education Participation and submitting it electronically to NABP. Full attendance and completion of the program evaluation and learning assessment for each session are required to receive CPE credit and a Statement of Continuing Pharmacy Education Credit.

Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Policy: NABP staff will be available to assist attendees on an individual basis to apply for CLE credit for attending CPE sessions. To apply for CLE credit, attendees must initiate the program approval process in their own states by completing and submitting the appropriate application materials and forms. NABP will provide documentation as necessary.

NABP is the independent, international, and impartial Association that assists its member boards and jurisdictions in developing, implementing, and enforcing uniform standards for the purpose of protecting the public health.