In response to the recent
outbreak of fungal meningitis due to the inappropriate
compounding of products,
the Arkansas State Board of
Pharmacy reminded licensees of its inspection requirements. The Board has completed regular inspections
of its pharmacies for years
and it makes every effort to
inspect each one at least once
annually. The Board’s review
of the 2012 inspections
shows that 667 of the 748
pharmacies in Arkansas were
inspected between January 1 and December 7. This
number does not include additional site visits for changes
of location, new openings, or
the multiple visits and walk-
throughs that the Board con-
ducts routinely for its major
compounding pharmacies.
All of the Board’s pharmacy
inspectors, as well as executive and assistant directors,
are licensed pharmacists
with experience and expertise in various areas of pharmacy practice. Board staff
has sought out and received
training in United States
Pharmacopeia standards
such as Chapter 797 and has
incorporated sterile com-
pounding inspection surveys
into the Board’s workflow
for any pharmacies that are
preparing sterile products.
While the Board does not
claim this to be an absolute
safety net, the Board continues to pursue additional
opportunities for training
and learning opportunities
to continually improve it efforts in inspecting com-
pounding pharmacies.
The Board notes that any
pharmacies that are prepar-
ing compounded products
for distribution in or into
Arkansas, should review
Regulation 07-02: COM-
POUNDING, pertaining to
pharmacy compounding,
which details Board require-
ments for sterility, potency,
and endotoxin testing that
must be followed prior to
dispensing or administration
of products.
Quoted from source found here
Quoted from source found here