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Today, the US Surgeon General, Dr. Jerome Adams, recommended that anybody using an opioid-based painkiller — for a medical condition or recreationally — have naloxone on hand, and that their friends and family should have it as well.  The American College of Apothecaries applauds the position of the Surgeon General and echo the use of naloxone to help save lives.  The Chairman of the Board of ACA, Dr. Ryan Oftebro, was one of the original pharmacist pioneers to champion the ability of the pharmacist to dispense naloxone without a prescription.  “This lifesaving drug can reverse the overdose effects of opioids and save lives,” said Donnie Calhoun, CEO and Executive Vice President of ACA, “and we encourage pharmacies to carry and follow their state law to dispense it.  We also encourage pharmacists to properly train the user on how to administer the drug so that the full benefit can be used to save lives.”

Surgeon General’s Advisory on Naloxone and Opioid Overdose

BE PREPARED. GET NALOXONE. SAVE A LIFE.

We are reviewing the guidance document and we welcome the opportunity to provide comments. Public health and safety is paramount and ACA, as a best practice organization, is ready to assist our members with compliance with the new guidance. Compounding is a vital part of the treatment choices physicians have to treat disease. As with any drug, the benefit should always outweigh the risk. We want to help compounders lower that risk and improve outcomes for those thousands of patients that depend on compounded prescriptions.

Draft Guidance: “Evaluation of Bulk Drug Substances Nominated for Use in Compounding Under Section 503B of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act”

Statement from FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., on a key step in advancing FDA’s oversight of drug compounding and implementing new laws governing outsourcing facilities

Donnie Calhoun, RPh, FACA, FACVP
Executive Director | CEO
American College of Apothecaries
American College of Veterinary Pharmacists

A new Vice-President and five new directors have been named to the American College of Apothecaries (ACA) Board of Directors. The ACA Board of Directors is made up of ACA Fellows representing 13 geographical regions of the United States and Canada and Executive Officers.

Elections for board Vice-President and Regional Directors for regions 6, 7, 9, and 13 were conducted in November among the Fellows. Regional Directors will serve three-year terms commencing in 2018.

Earlier this month, Elaine Ladd, RPh, FACA was appointed by the ACA Board of Directors to fulfill the remainder of the term left vacant by the resignation of Roland Lopez for Region 11.  Ladd will serve through 2019.

“On behalf of the Fellows and members of the American College of Apothecaries, we’re honored and grateful for the leadership and service of our new Vice-President and Regional Directors” said ACA CEO | Executive Vice-President Donnie Calhoun. “Their commitment to independent pharmacy and willingness to dedicate their time to our organization is crucial to the success of the ACA.”

Shara Rudner, RPh, FACA, FACVP, FIACP – Vice-President

Shara Rudner holds a BS in Pharmacy from the University of Rhode Island, College of Pharmacy and is currently Clinical Trials and Special Project Coordinator for Pharmacy Innovations. Shara is a Fellow of the American College of Apothecaries (ACA), the American College of Veterinary Pharmacists (ACVP), and the International Academy of Compounding Pharmacists (IACP). Prior to her election as Vice-President, Shara has served ACA as the Director for region 2 since 2016.  Shara has received numerous professional awards, including ACVP’s Earl W. “Bill” Bradley Award for Outstanding Service to Veterinary Pharmacy 2008 and is a regular presenter at professional conferences. She is a founding Board Member of STOMP The Monster™.

Nancy Stoehr, PharmD, FACA, FIACP – Region 6 (Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin)

Nancy Stoehr earned her PharmD from the University of Wisconsin Madison School of Pharmacy in 2006 and is an Assistant Professor at Concordia University Wisconsin School of Pharmacy since 2012 where her teaching focus is pharmaceutical dosage forms and extemporaneous pharmaceutical compounding for the community patient. Her research focuses on stability and quality of compounded dosage forms and formulation development as well as scholarship of teaching and learning within the non-sterile compounding laboratory. Nancy is currently continuing her pharmacy practice as a compounding pharmacist with Skywalk Pharmacy in Milwaukee, WI which has a non-sterile pediatric community compounding focus. She enjoys incorporating practice and research into her education of technicians, pharmacists and future pharmacists.

Nicholas R. Smock, PharmD, MBA, FACA – Region 7 (Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska)

Nick Smock received his Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from the University of Missouri in 1983, his Masters of Business Administration in Finance from the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 1990, and his Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 2002. He serves as the President and CEO of the Pharmacy Buying Association (PBA), a pharmacy member co-op, since 1998 and previously served as Vice President, COO, CFO and Director of Contracts. Nick spent several years as a practicing pharmacist prior to joining PBA/TrueCare.

Nathan D. Pope, PharmD, FACA, BCACP – Region 9 (Texas)

Nathan Pope is currently Clinical Associate Professor at The University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy (UT-Austin) since 2008. He received his B.S. and PharmD from the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy at Rutgers: The State University of New Jersey in 2002, subsequently completed a Community Pharmacy Residency in Houston, Texas, and received Board Certification in Ambulatory Care Pharmacy (BCACP) in 2015. He has worked various community pharmacy settings and is Residency Program Director for the H-E-B Pharmacy which partnered with the College in 2008 to create an innovative post-graduate educational experience in the community pharmacy setting. He is the faculty advisor to the UT-Austin student chapter of NCPA which has been awarded Student Chapter of the Year for four of the last six years.  Nathan is a clinical instructor for ACA, teaching compounding courses at the National Training Laboratory and on-site compounding training.

Elaine Ladd, PharmD, ABAAHP, FAARFM, FACA – Region 11 (Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington)

Elaine Ladd is a Client Manager with Pharmacy Development Services, bringing years of experience leading clinical development and directing enhanced pharmacy services. Previously, Elaine served as founder and pharmacist-in-charge of a hybrid community pharmacy. She is a former clinical assistant professor of pharmacy practice at Idaho State University College of Pharmacy with over a decade of teaching experience.  She is an active member of numerous organizations and has served on national and state committees in the interest of pharmacy on important topics such as patient safety, infection control, leadership development, preventative health and compounding.  She is certified by the American Board of Anti-Aging Health Practitioners, and received a fellowship in Anti-Aging, Regenerative and Functional Medicine from the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine.

Ben Smith, RPh, FACA – Region 13 (Canada) 

Ben Smith is the owner of a dozen pharmacies scattered throughout small towns in central Ontario. He graduated from pharmacy school at the University of Toronto in 1966 and purchased his first pharmacy in 1979 in a small community in Ontario. He attributes his achievements to an old-fashioned recipe of hard work, long hours, ongoing continuing education, generously giving back to the communities his pharmacies serve, being as accessible as possible to patients, and cultivating strong personal relationships with local physicians. Ben served the ACA as President in 2013 and Chairman in 2014. He has served on the ACA Admission Committee for many years and on numerous ACA committees. He is also a member of the Ontario Pharmacists Association and the Canadian Pharmaceutical Association.

Just a year after establishing the Pharmacist Member, New Practitioner, and Dual Fellow membership categories, the American College of Apothecaries is once again expanding its scope in an effort to encourage and support independent pharmacy worldwide.  The ACA’s new International Pharmacist Member category grants independent pharmacists working in countries outside of the United States and Canada access to the benefits, discounts, and opportunities for networking and professional development offered by the ACA at a reduced rate. ACA’s sister organization, the American College of Veterinary Pharmacists, has also created an International Pharmacist Member level.

“We’re contacted regularly by independent pharmacists around the globe who are interested in the services that ACA offers,” said Donnie Calhoun, CEO | Executive Vice-President of the American College of Apothecaries and American College of Veterinary Pharmacists.  “We’ve even gone to London, England to provide on-site training. But we want to have a long-term relationship with our international pharmacists, provide them with all of the benefits of ACA membership, but also take into consideration differences in compensation worldwide.”

The International Pharmacist Member category is open to any licensed pharmacist residing outside of the United States or Canada who meets the association’s Practice Standards and has a $100 annual membership fee. Pharmacist members may apply for Fellowship at any time.

Information and online applications for membership may be found at www.acainfo.org/joinaca and www.vetmeds.org/joinacvp.

To our Members and Fellows,

By now everyone is aware of the tragic events caused by Hurricane Maria in the Caribbean and Puerto Rico.  Over a year ago, ACA contracted with the El Conquistador Hotel to host our 2018 ACA|ACVP Annual Conference & Expo.  Due to the damage sustained in the hurricane and the damage to the island’s infrastructure, we have had to make the difficult decision to move our meeting to another location.

We were looking forward to hosting our event in Puerto Rico and build strong relationships with the local pharmacists and technician.  We want to send our thoughts and prayers to our brothers and sisters on the Island, and to let them know that we will be back.  Back to support pharmacy and the people.  For right now, we are encouraging our members who want to do more to help Puerto Rico to donate to organizations such as One America Appeal, Unidos Por Puerto Rico or  Voices for Puerto Rico. Animal welfare organizations assisting shelters and animals impacted by Hurricane Maria include the Humane Society of the United States and Wings of Rescue.

We will be announcing a new venue for the 2018 ACA|ACVP Annual Conference & Expo in the next few days.  Thank all of you for your patience and your support for those affected by Maria.  Our event will still be special, with outstanding speakers, quality vendors, and great fellowship.  Please be on the lookout for our announcement and feel free to call the office (901-383-8119) if we can assist you in any way.

Thank you,

Ryan Oftebro, PharmD, FACA, FACVP
Board President
American College of Apothecaries

Gary Wingate, RPh, FACVP, FACA
Board President
American College of Veterinary Pharmacists

Thomas Hunt, RPh, FACA, FACVP
Board President
ACA Research & Education Foundation