Tennessee Task Force Reviews State’s Compounding Pharmacy Regulations

The Tennessee Board of Pharmacy has convened a task force to review the state’s regulations pertaining to compounding and determine how regulations might be strengthened to further protect the public health. At the end of 2012, the Board conducted a survey of the 2,350 pharmacies licensed by the state. Of the 1,893 pharmacies responding, 352 indicated that they engage in sterile compounding, with 65 preparing more than 100 doses per day, reports The Tennessean. The task force is considering amending pharmacy compounding regulations, such as possibly including United States Pharmacopeia (USP) Chapter 797 standards. Other new regulations being considered may require new state legislation. In a meeting of the task force, the importance of sharing information about enforcement actions with other state boards of pharmacy and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was also discussed.