Belvidere Pharmacy earns new accreditation status, high marks on quality and safety
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Belvidere Pharmacy is the first pharmacy in the state of New Jersey 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 Belvidere 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 situations in which compounded prescriptions are necessary:
- * 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.
* When a pet needs a dose specific to their species (ex: bird or cat) that is otherwise not commercially available.
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 Belvidere Pharmacy ranks among the best for quality and safety,” said Shara Rudner, owner of Belvidere Pharmacy. “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, Belvidere Pharmacy had to complete an extensive application, document its written policies and provide an analysis of its quality procedures that was then reviewed by the Pharmacy Compounding Accreditation Board and some of the leading individuals 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 Belvidere Pharmacy the PCAB Seal of Accreditation and the right to use the designation “PCAB Accredited(TM) 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 Shara Rudner. “We believe this will further strengthen the bond of trust between our pharmacy and our community.”
About Belvidere Pharmacy
Belvidere Pharmacy is owned and operated by pharmacist, Shara Rudner. The pharmacy has been serving its community since 1959 and has been compounding exclusively for over 10 years for both people and pets. Shara is a Fellow of the International Academy of Compounding Pharmacists, a Fellow and Regional Director of the American College of Apothecaries, a Fellow of the American College of Veterinary Pharmacists, and the Secretary of the New Jersey Academy of Compounding Pharmacists.
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 http://www.pcab.org.
[tags]Belvidere Pharmacy, Pharmacy Compounding Accreditation Board[/tags]
