RI says pharmacy is illegally mixing solutions

SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. (AP) The state Health Department has ordered a South Kingstown pharmacy to stop what it says is the illegal manufacturing and distribution of medications.

The department accused Bayview Pharmacy of acting as an unlicensed manufacturer and distributor of sterile injectable medications for individuals within and outside Rhode Island, including practitioners in Illinois and Indiana.

A Nov. 16 compliance order made public Tuesday said that Board of Pharmacy inspectors had found, during an initial inspection in September and a return visit last week, that Bayview has been using compounding powders from a manufacturer not licensed in Rhode Island. On at least two occasions, a pharmacist had used expired powders. The facility also had in stock powder from a prescriber who was not authorized to provide it, the order said.

The order said the pharmacy could not produce records and test results relating to the sterility and cleanliness of its compounding room. During the Sept. 7 inspection, state officials found pet food, bowls and bedding near the compounding area.

The pharmacy is allowed to continue to lawfully dispense medications under its retail pharmacy license.

Ryan Dyer, the pharmacist in charge at Bayview Pharmacy, described the problems as technical and told The Associated Press there are no safety concerns for the public.

He said the pharmacy, where compounding is only a small part of the business, ran into trouble because it couldnt find a document certifying sterile conditions during the inspections. He also said the manufacturer whose powders it was using did not believe it had to be licensed in Rhode Island.

Dyer said he expects the problems to be resolved by the end of the week.

We are open for business, he said. Ninety-eight percent of our business is unaffected.

A Massachusetts pharmacy, the New England Compounding Center, is under investigation for allegedly distributing a tainted steroid that has sickened more than 400 people, including several in Rhode Island, and led to move than 30 deaths in the U.S.

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RI says pharmacy is illegally mixing solutions