PTCB considers new program for techs
December 19, 2007
Certified technicians who want to move up the career ladder may have a new option open to them in the future. The Pharmacy Technician Certification Board is considering setting up a certification program in IV admixture, now that the U.S. Pharmacopeia has finalized its Chapter 797 clean room standards. That’s one thing Melissa Murer Corrigan, CEO of PTCB, revealed at the ASHP midyear meeting in Las Vegas. Another plan PTCB is mulling is to offer continuous certification testing, rather than holding tests only on certain days, she added. This will offer technicians greater convenience in taking the test.
[Via Drug Topics]
FDA panel not recommending OTC use of Mevacor.
December 17, 2007
A FDA advisory panel voted against recommending the approval of OTC use of Merck’s cholesterol-lowering drug Mevacor (Lovastatin).
The recommendation was made Thursday night by a joint panel of the FDA’s Nonprescription Drugs Advisory Committee and the Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee.
Panel members expressed concerns that too many people who were not the right candidates for the medicine, and would likely not benefit from it, would buy the drug if it was made available without a prescription.
The FDA is not bound by the committee’s recommendation, but the agency typically flows the advice of its committee. A final vote of Merck’s request is expected by Jan. 26.
[via Philadelphia Business Journal]
Ohio Senator pushes for pharmacy technician standards
December 10, 2007
Ohio State Sen. Tim Grendell, R-Chesterland, has written a bill that would require pharmacy techs to complete a two-year training program or an internship. It also would require they pass a national certification test, remain updated on training and be licensed through the Ohio Pharmacy Board, among other requirements for pharmacists and pharmacy owners.
This comes after a two year old child died in February 2006 after she received an incorrect dosage of medication for cancer treatment, prepared by a Pharmacy Tech.
The bill is supported by The Pharmacy Technician Certification Board and The American Pharmacists Association.
