"Phederalism": The Regulation of Pharmacy Compounding and Two Years in the Regulatory Turf War Between Pharmacy and the Food and Drug Administration

Abstract

Pharmacy has long been considered among the most popular of professions, with pharmacists consistently topping surveys of whom Americans consider the most honest and ethical professionals. Pharmacy is also one of the most regulated professions. The pharmacy profession has traditionally been regulated at the state level by legislatively-created state boards of pharmacy. These state agencies regulate all aspects of pharmacy practice, including admission to practice, standards of practice, and discipline of pharmacists. While the Food and Drug Administration closely regulates the manufacture and distribution of prescription drugs, the day-to-day practice of pharmacy traditionally has been left to these state boards of pharmacy.