Congressional Report Highlights State Challenges in Regulating Compounding Pharmacies

A report released by US Representative Ed Markey (D-MA) highlights the challenges states face in regulating compounding pharmacies and examines how the pharmacies are tracked and inspected. Representative Markey is a proponent of granting FDA authority to establish standards and regulate compounding pharmacies. The report findings were the subject of a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee meeting on Tuesday, April 16, 2013, reports The Washington Post.

Following the meningitis outbreak linked to contaminated compounded drugs, state boards of pharmacy and NABP have taken several actions to address the regulation of pharmacies engaged in compounding. The Iowa Board of Pharmacy partnered with NABP and its member boards to begin inspecting all nonresident pharmacies dispensing drugs into Iowa, including those believed to be delivering compounded drugs into the state. In addition, NABP is developing a national pharmacy information sharing network to enable boards of pharmacy to access and share information about compounding pharmacies. NABP has also made available to boards of pharmacy several training resources on pharmacy compounding for board inspectors. More information about board of pharmacy and NABP actions is available in the March 2013 NABP Newsletter and the April 2013 NABP Newsletter.