Contact: Ken Baker, PCAB Executive Director 515-341-1250 kenbaker@pcab.info or Ramon Moreno, R.Ph., FIACP (305) 556-2673 compoundrx@uaprx.com

Local Pharmacy is First in Florida to Earn Top Quality & Safety Endorsement

March 2007; Universal Arts Compounding Pharmacy earned new accreditation status, with high marks on quality and safety

Miami-Dade County– One local pharmacy is making it easier for doctors and patients in Florida to choose a compounding pharmacy they know meets the highest quality and safety standards in its profession.

Universal Arts Compounding Pharmacy is the first in the state of Florida to earn the Pharmacy Compounding Accreditation Board’s Seal of Accreditation – a new system of standards created by some of the leading organizations in pharmacy. The accreditation demonstrates that Universal Arts Compounding Pharmacy meets the highest quality and safety standards in its profession.

Compounding medications is an integral part of the practice of pharmacy; an estimated 30 million to 40 million prescriptions are compounded each year. Yet many people may not even be aware of its role. Compounded medications are prescriptions that are written by physicians, veterinarians and other legally authorized prescribers and prepared for an individual patient by a specially trained pharmacist. Examples of compounded prescriptions are:
• When a child needs a smaller dose of a medicine that is only commercially manufactured in adult-size doses.
• When a person cannot tolerate the inactive ingredients (such as gluten or sugar) in manufactured medicines.
• When a doctor believes a medicine is needed for his or her patient, but a manufacturer has discontinued the medicine for economic reasons.

Many pharmacies practice a small degree of compounding, while others specialize in the centuries-old practice.

“Our new PCAB Accreditation status and our designation as a PCAB Accredited™ compounding pharmacy lets the public know that [insert pharmacy name] ranks among the best for quality and safety,” said [insert pharmacist/owner name]. “The PCAB Seal of Accreditation shows our dedication to protecting our patients by practicing safe, high-quality compounding.”

With the high volume of prescriptions that are compounded each year, there has been a need for an enhanced, profession-wide system of standards by which each compounding pharmacy can test its quality processes. While compounding pharmacy is regulated by the state, PCAB Accreditation is an even more comprehensive way to ensure a compounding pharmacy is meeting the highest quality and safety standards.

To earn PCAB Accreditation, Universal Arts Compounding Pharmacy had to complete an extensive application, document its written policies and provide an analysis of its quality procedures that was reviewed by the Pharmacy Compounding Accreditation Board and some of the leading figures in the field of compounding. Next, the pharmacy opened its doors for an extensive on-site inspection led by compounding experts. Only when these stringent evaluations were completed did the Pharmacy Compounding Accreditation Board officially grant Universal Arts Compounding Pharmacy the PCAB Seal of Accreditation and the right to use the designation “PCAB Accredited™ compounding pharmacy.”

“We are honored by this new accreditation. It confirms our commitment to providing safe, personalized solutions that meet the medical needs of our patients – and the needs of the healthcare providers in our community who rely on us for these specialized medicines,” said Ramon Moreno, R.Ph. FIACP. “We believe this will further strengthen the bond of trust between our pharmacy and the Florida community.”

About Universal Arts Compounding Pharmacy
Universal Arts Pharmacy is the premier compounding pharmacy servicing all of the state of Florida. We specialize in formulating/customizing medications as written by a doctor/practitioner to help meet medication needs and help ensure compliance. Our assistance provides the physician freedom to depend on us and the patient ability to properly take the recommended prescription. Our compounding services include elimination of trouble-causing excipients such as dyes, sugar, lactose or alcohol, combination preparations for easier administration and improved compliance, creative devices for medication administration and commercially unavailable medications

About the Pharmacy Compounding Accreditation Board
The Pharmacy Compounding Accreditation Board is a not-for-profit corporation formed by eight national pharmacy organizations that recognized the need for a national standards organization for compounding pharmacy. Together, these leading organizations developed the policies and standards for the practice of compounding pharmacy, as well as the PCAB Accreditation criteria and processes.

For more information on PCAB Accreditation, visit the PCAB Web site at www.pcab.org.