Survey highlights impact of opioid shortages in veterinary medicineSeptember 17, 2018A nationwide survey conducted by Wedgewood Pharmacy aims to show the unintended consequences for veterinary medicine caused by the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) efforts to address the national opioid crisis. To address the misuse and diversion of opioids by people, the DEA has proposed an average 10 percent decrease in the 2019 manufacturing quotas for six frequently abused opioids, including five key Class II opioid drugs commonly used by veterinarians. When supplies of these drugs are limited, manufacturers and distributors give preference to allocating supplies for use in human health, creating shortages for veterinary medical practitioners, Wedgewood said in a statement. Key survey findings: In 2017, anywhere from 27 to 73 percent of veterinary professionals have had difficulty obtaining necessary supplies of five opioids (hydromorphone, morphine, fentanyl, hydrocodone, and oxymorphone) they consider "important to your practice and to your patients' health" by 50 to 80 percent of respondents. Shortages of these opioids have led to the use of less effective, non-narcotic alternatives such as NSAIDS (83 percent), increased patient suffering (71 percent), use of a local anesthetic (49 percent), postponed procedures (26 percent), and patient deaths (3 percent) 88 percent of respondents "rarely" …
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Wedgewood Pharmacy, Diamondback Drugs compounding pharmacies mergeJuly 18, 2018Two animal-health compounding pharmacies, Wedgewood Pharmacy of Swedesboro, N.J., and Diamondback Drugs of Scottsdale, Ariz., have merged to "increase the breadth of medications available, to improve the speed of delivery to veterinary practices and patients, and to evolve the service and quality available to the market today," the companies said in a joint statement. The new company, which will operate as Wedgewood Pharmacy, will employ more than 500 and serve more than 40,000 prescribers. Marcy A. Bliss, Wedgewood Pharmacy's president and CEO, will lead the combined organization. "Combining our two pharmacies will provide more capabilities and enhanced service for all of our customers," Bliss said. "Our deep, combined expertise in compounding medications, together with best-practice prescribing tools, will enhance our customers' experience of doing business with us. We look forward to sharing new preparations, services and tools as they are rolled out. During the process, our integrated pharmacist, customer care, and sales teams will allow us to stay connected with the unique needs of each veterinarian and patient we serve." "Our two organizations have a great deal in common, both historically and in serving the unique needs of veterinary medicine today," said Fabian McCarthy, president …
