When a Small Reminder Makes a Big Difference

Have you ever had one of those little warning icons light up on your car’s dash and you don’t know what it means?  You know that some signals require attention right away and others can wait.  The thing is, most of the time you have to look up the icon to make that decision.

When it comes to medicines and people’s lives, there is no substitute for being clear about a warning, and for injectable drugs the stakes are particularly high.  Beginning December 1st, manufacturers of injectable drugs will have to comply with new labeling standards that help ensure that important warnings — warnings that can help prevent life-threatening situations — are obvious and clear.  The standards were established by the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP).  USP is a scientific nonprofit organization that sets standards for the identity, strength, quality, and purity of medicines, food ingredients, and dietary supplements manufactured, distributed and consumed worldwide. USP's mission is to improve global health through public standards and related programs that help ensure the quality, safety, and benefit of medicines and foods.

In short, this USP standard states that warning messages – for example, “Warning – Paralyzing Agent” or “Dilute Before Using” – are the only markings that should appear on ferrules and cap overseals of injectable drugs.  The ferrules and cap overseals must remain clear of any markings, including logos, except for markings intended to prevent an imminent life-threatening situation.  The standard goes on to say that warnings must be printed in contrasting color and clearly visible under ordinary conditions of use.  Finally, products that do not require cautionary statements should be free of information, so that those with cautionary statements are immediately apparent.

With the new USP labeling standard, if a healthcare provider sees a warning on a ferrule or cap overseal, he or she will know immediately that it is a vital, possibly life-saving piece of information that must be observed and acted upon before administering the drug to the patient.

Warning messages on ferrules and cap overseals may go a very long way to helping practitioners protect their patients from harm.

The Legislative Session to Begin January 27th

The holidays are over and the New Year is fresh out of the gates.  With it comes change:  large and small, internal and external, desired and endured.  This is also the time of the year that the lawmakers of the state prepare to make changes – often changes that directly affect us in the way we practice pharmacy.  As the legislative session convenes, we need to be prepared to weigh in on those bills that relate to how we do business – for good or for ill.

Many people don’t get involved because they don’t know how.  They are afraid of doing the wrong thing or making things worse.  Others feel that they are just one voice – what good can they do?  That is the point of being part of a professional association.  If one representative gets one e-mail from one constituent, it will have a small effect.  If dozens get e-mails from dozens of constituents, it will have a larger effect.  In that spirit, here are some tips for contacting those who represent you.

2014 to Offer Continued Success for UPhA

What a wonderful year it has been for the Utah Pharmacy Association.  We are excited as we enter the New Year and look forward to the new opportunities that the New Year will bring to the profession of pharmacy. 

On the National pharmacy front we continue to see much discussion about provider status and how we as pharmacists can and should play a larger role in the direct care of our patients…and get paid for that care.  The American Pharmacists Association and other National pharmacy associations are deeply committed to helping pharmacists receive provider status.  There is much discussion as to how that would and could change our roles as pharmacists. 

As professionals, we need to be aware of these ideas and goals on a national basis, but more importantly, we need to be involved locally.  We are only days away from our 2014 Utah Legislative Session.  We are aware of a few items that have already been introduced that will affect our profession.  We cannot continue to sit idle on the side lines and expect that someone else will take care of our needs.  Now is the time to be involved.  Your first step should be to offer your services and knowledge to your State Senator and Representative.  They should know you and know that you can be a resource for them if they have pharmacy or health care related questions.