by Chris Cassidy
Lawmakers today will announce details of a highly anticipated bill toughening oversight of compounding pharmacies after last year’s deadly nationwide fungal meningitis outbreak.
“We beefed up what the governor did,” said state Rep. Jeffrey Sanchez (D-Jamaica Plain), the chairman of the Joint Committee on Public Health, referring to a bill filed earlier this year by Gov. Deval Patrick. “The governor’s piece was a great first start, but ours really enhances what he did.”
Sanchez said the bill is intended to make compounding drugs — the process of mixing specialized prescription medications — safer by creating more transparency, without causing a shortage. The new rules would establish a public database of compounders’ track records, require labels on medications and specialty licenses, and allow the Board of Registration in Pharmacy to levy fines of up to $25,000.
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