A Sydney pharmacist has been given a two year ban against working as a pharmacist-in-charge and banned from compounding medications in his pharmacy, as part of a formal reprimand for illegally importing testosterone to make compounded medications.
The NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal issued the ruling last week in the wake of a 2019 conviction over the importation of 7.5kg of testosterone without a permit.
According to evidence tendered during a hearing, the pharmacist had previously told the Pharmacy Council of NSW that "I quite like making things and experimenting and that sort of thing".
He had planned to compound testosterone products, with the aim of canvassing aged care doctors and cosmetic surgeons about their patients' needs for low-dose items and an injectable product that would be more effective because it was dissolved in oils.
The pharmacist had also hoped to develop a product which combined a blood pressure medication with a statin and an antidepressant into a single capsule.
An expert witness who testified at the hearing noted the pharmacist had also admitted to importing testosterone for his own use, while previous proceedings had also seen other conditions imposed on his registration from as early as 2011, including a requirement for random Urine Drug Testing.
However the judgement also noted there was no allegation that the pharmacist was not competent to practise, unsuitable for registration as a pharmacist, or guilty of professional misconduct.
Last week's formal reprimand included a requirement not to possess, supply, dispense, administer or manufacture any S8, S4B or S4D substance for a period of 24 months, and also undergo mentoring by an experienced pharmacist approved by the Council.
The pharmacist was ordered to apply for Quality Care Pharmacy Program (QCPP) accreditation within four weeks, and obtain QCPP accreditation in the next six months as well as maintain it for a period of at least three years.
No compounding is permitted at any pharmacy in which he has a financial interest, and the manufacturing of any preparation containing testosterone may not take place in his pharmacy, the Tribunal ordered.
Records of the hearing also raised additional "matters of concern" including dispensing records from the pharmacy in question showing a total of 170 Panadeine Forte tablets dispensed to a patient over a four week period in 2017, as well as a total of 500 dexamphetamine 5mg tablets to another patient and other large quantities of Valium, Normison and Ritalin.
The Tribunal noted these details would be forwarded to the Medical Council of NSW.
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