Compounder prosecuted
April 15, 2016
THE NSW Health Care Complaints
Commission has made findings
of unsatisfactory professional
conduct and professional
misconduct against Nicholas Bova,
the proprietor and pharmacist-in-charge
of Caringbah-based Bova
Compounding Chemist.
The prosecution related to a
product dispensed to an ophthalmic
surgeon for a corneal cross-linking
procedure in late 2011 and a range
of breaches of the Poisons and
Therapeutic Goods Regulation.
In particular the Tribunal found
Bova failed to take reasonable steps
to clarify whether Dextran T(500)
sulfate was appropriate and safe
for use in the human eye, as well as
dispensing ten bottles for a single
patient when he should have been
aware that this was an excessive
quantity.
The Tribunal also found Bova’s
pharmacy had failed to comply
with a large number of regulatory
requirements, including failure to
ensure scripts for special restricted
substances were stored separately,
failure to keep a drug register
for drugs of addiction, supplying
oxytocin to male clients, failure
to store S8 drugs in a safe and
failure to maintain a drug register
for dexamphetamine, codeine and
ketamine.
During the period since 2011
the Tribunal said Bova had “put
himself in a position where he
would be unlikely to repeat any of
the breaches” but said given the
multiplicity of them he was guilty of
professional misconduct.
The Tribunal said it would
consider the issue of protective
orders on a further hearing date to
be set down.
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