California Board of Pharmacy faces scrutiny over compounding rules and proposed ‘standard of care’ model

The California State Board of Pharmacy defended a proposed shift to a “standard of care” practice model and defended its ongoing compounding regulation rewrite during a joint sunset review hearing held by the Assembly Business and Professions Committee and the Senate committee on business, professions and economic development.

Seung Oh, president of the California State Board of Pharmacy, told the joint committee the board is “a consumer protection agency charged with regulating the businesses, people, and products throughout the drug supply chain in our state until the product is dispensed to the patient by a pharmacist.” He said the board’s proposals seek to remove “administrative burdens” that restrict pharmacist-provided preventive medicines and other services. “The proposed transition to a standard of care practice model will remove these and other persistent barriers and allow for the natural transition of practice to occur without the administrative burdens currently placed on the Board and its licensees,” Oh said.

Why it matters: the board’s proposals could change how pharmacists deliver care statewide and how compounding is regulated — affecting patient access, provider practice,…