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Rising Medication Shortages Affect Patient Health
- New IACP Tool Helps Evaluate Pharmacies for Needed Compounded Medication Services
HOUSTON, Oct. 5, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As hospital medication shortages continue to increase by the day within the North American healthcare system, the International Academy of Compounding Pharmacists (IACP) has developed a new assessment questionnaire to assist hospitals, practitioners and non-compounding pharmacies identify and evaluate compounding pharmacies as they seek alternative sources for medications that currently are in limited to complete shortage status.
IACP's Compounding Pharmacy Assessment Questionnaire (CPAQ™) provides a comprehensive checklist of what to look for in a compounding pharmacy practice and is based upon United States Pharmacopeia (USP) standards which compounding pharmacists are obligated to follow according to state board of pharmacy regulations or standards of practice. Collaboration between licensed compounding pharmacists and their colleagues in hospitals and institutions is a long-standing solution to back-orders and shortages but the current shortage situation is at a crisis point for many health-systems. The expertise of a compounder with access to APIs (Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients – the pure, raw drug ingredient) can mean the difference between continued or initiation of much-needed medicines or an unnecessary delay in patient care.
IACP's Compounding Pharmacy Assessment Questionnaire (CPAQ™) includes evaluation points in the following areas:
- Regulatory compliance
- Licensing – permits
- Internal controls and quality assurance
- Testing & verification
- Site visits
"Drug shortages have been an ongoing problem for healthcare facilities and the number of drug products that are unavailable due to manufacturer backorders and discontinuation is on the rise," says, Linda F. McElhiney, PharmD, RPh, FIACP, FASHP, compounding pharmacy operations coordinator, Indiana University Health. "These facilities are often trying to find substitutions for the drug products or alternative treatments and there is often a delay in the patient's treatment. Compounding pharmacies may be able to prepare these medications using bulk active pharmaceutical ingredients; however, it may be difficult for the healthcare pharmacy administrators to know if the compounding pharmacy can provide quality compounded medications to meet their facilities' needs because they are unfamiliar with the USP standards for compounding sterile and non-sterile preparations. The International Academy of Compounding Pharmacists (IACP) has developed a checklist of standards and criteria to assist the administrators in finding a suitable compounding pharmacy to meet these needs."
"IACP leadership recently participated in the FDA's conference on prescription drug shortages," says Scott Karolchyk, R.Ph., FIACP, IACP president-elect. "While there were many good intentions expressed during the conference, there were no real solutions for now. Each day, pharmacists and physicians are grappling with making sure our patients get the medicines they need. What was clearly overlooked was how compounding pharmacists are providing solutions today as they work with U.S. hospitals, surgery centers, and practitioners to make those medicines available.
"What better solution to this problem than pharmacists working intraprofessionally to take care of patients?" asked John Herr, R.Ph., IACP president. "The CPAQ tool is compounding pharmacy's way of stimulating that relationship. Given that compounders have an outstanding track record for preparing quality medications on a per-prescription basis, we know that working together will lessen the need to use the so-called "gray market" of suppliers, distributors and others which are taking advantage of people in need."
About IACP
The International Academy of Compounding Pharmacists (IACP) is a professional association founded in 1991 to protect, promote and advance personalized medication solutions. The association represents more than 2,100 pharmacists and pharmacist technicians licensed and regulated by their individual state boards of pharmacy and located throughout North America, South America, Europe, Australia and Asia. In addition, IACP represents more than 154,800 patients, physicians, nurse practitioners and veterinarians through its ally grassroots organization, Patients & Professionals for Customized Care (P2C2). IACP is committed to ensuring the rights of physicians to prescribe, of pharmacists to prepare, and of patients to take personalized medication solutions that meet their unique, individual health needs.
IACP offers a free Compounding Pharmacy Locator Service which can be accessed toll free at 800/927-4227 or via IACP's website at www.iacprx.org.
CONTACT: Dagmar Climo, IACP Communications, 281/933-8400, dagmar@iacprx.org
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