Preventing a repeat of a 2012 fungal meningitis outbreak through a Massachusetts compounding pharmacy was the purpose of a bill approved unanimously by a House committee Monday.
Rep. Jimmy Patronis sponsored HB 7077, which would impose registration requirements and standards for “compounding pharmacies” which make medications tailored to the needs of individual patients.
Compounding pharmacies are located in other states but sell medicines in Florida. The House Health Care Appropriations Subcommittee approved the bill.
In praising the bill, Democrat Rep. Elaine Schwartz said it was a “public safety issue,” but then raised a question about one part of the bill allowing Florida health officials to travel to those out-of-state pharmacies for inspections.
Patronis responded by saying the pharmacies would be responsible for costs for any such inspections.
“We had to at least put the what-if factor in place,” Patronis said about the potential for conducting inspections.
Compounding pharmacies became a national issue in 2012, when tainted drugs produced at the New England Compounding Center resulted in hundreds of cases of fungal meningitis in several states including Florida.
