Dear Colleague,
For too many camera crews, the "action shots" they take of a pharmacy involve the Abbott counting tray and the swipe of a spatula by fives. That's an important function, but it's kind of dull and misrepresents pharmacy as less dynamic than it actually is. Pharmacy compounding "action shots" are much more readily available. Trituration. Levigation. Dilution. Spatulation. One of the highest expressions of pharmacy comes through blending the science and artistry of compounding to problem solve and innovate in ways that benefit the patient.
Earlier this month, David Sparks passed away at age 82. Dave was one of the first employees at the Professional Compounding Centers of America (PCCA) and later became its president and CEO. Dave certainly left his mark at PCCA but even beyond that his impact was felt on the entire profession.
Compounding was dying out shortly before I came into the profession. It was a big part throughout most of the history of pharmacy but by the 1950's and 60's, finished products were in vogue and compounding was receding into the past. In the 1970's and 80's most state boards of pharmacy stopped requiring "wet exams" (with New York being a major exception!). My 90's pharmacy school training had one lab in which we made powder papers, tinctures, hand-rolled tablets, and filled gelatin capsules with ingredients weighed on a torsion balance scale. Good fundamental training, but not exactly cutting edge.
Not too long before then, Dave, a pharmacist, had his passion for pharmacy compounding ignited doing volunteer work for a hospice. The direct and unmistakable difference that compounded pain and anti-nausea medications had on these patients was the fuse that helped launch a movement in the profession.
Though, I have no doubt there were other trail blazing pharmacists doing amazing work in compounding during this period, I credit Dave as a primary architect in the renaissance of pharmacy compounding.
Dave was also a relentless advocate for the rights of pharmacists to be able to compound. Many decades ago, pharmacists had been banished to "the basement" and told not to talk unless spoken to — especially to patients. Dave pushed against those who would prefer that pharmacists sit quietly in the corner. He would have none of it. The results were real and substantive. His impact on liberating and re-popularizing pharmacy compounding has helped thousands of pharmacists and millions of patients get the treatments they needed and enjoy a quality of life they might never have experienced otherwise.
Pharmacy compounding ignited a passion not only in Dave, but in thousands of other pharmacists in the U.S. and around the world, and especially with pharmacy students who, still to this day, fall in love with being able to work with the patient and the prescriber to create a customized product that makes a difference in the life of that patient.
Making a difference. Providing "action shots." That is what Dave did for pharmacy compounding. He helped change the profession and, in doing so, helped change the lives of so many patients for the better. Dave Sparks, the patriarch of pharmacy compounding. He made a difference.
Best,
B. Douglas Hoey, Pharmacist, MBA
NCPA CEO
