Pharmacies: compounding.

Under the Pharmacy Law, the California State Board of Pharmacy licenses and regulates the practice of pharmacy by pharmacists and pharmacy corporations in this state. That law prohibits a pharmacy from compounding sterile drug products unless the pharmacy has obtained a sterile compounding pharmacy license from the board. A violation of that law is a crime. This bill would require the compounding of drug preparations by a pharmacy for furnishing, distribution, or use to be consistent with standards established in the pharmacy compounding chapters of the current version of the United States Pharmacopeia-National Formulary, including relevant testing and quality assurance. The bill, by imposing a new requirement on pharmacies, the violation of which would be a crime, would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would authorize the board to adopt regulations to impose additional standards for compounding drug preparations. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.