California’s Pharmacy Board Is Actively Endangering Californians: A Patient’s Perspective

In 2019, Governor Newsom signed a bill (Assembly Bill 973) into law that opened the floodgates for the California State Board of Pharmacy (BOP) to regulate compounding pharmacies out of existence—particularly the highly specialized sterile compounding pharmacies, of which only 18 remain in the state. The latest proposed regulations will worsen things, and as a patient who depends on these pharmacies, I am horrified.

The regulations threaten to prohibit sterile compounding pharmacies from producing a long list of legal Category 1 treatments allowed by the FDA under their interim policy and available in all 49 other states. 

Methylcobalamin, the active form of vitamin B12, along with other widely used treatments like glutathione and NAD+ therapy, would be severely restricted. These pharmacies provide customized medications for some of California’s most vulnerable patients, including myself. 

I rely on sterile compounded glutathione and NAD+ to manage late-stage disseminated neurological Lyme disease, mold and gadolinium toxicity, and resulting brain inflammation.

Over a dozen medical institutions have voiced their opposition and concerns to the BOP.

More than 300 pages of letters from pharmacists, patients, healthcare organizations, and doctors have been submitted to the BOP. Some of these groups include Cedars Sinai, California Hospital Association, California Pharmacists Association, Kaiser Permanente, Keck Medicine of USC, CVS Health, UCSF Medical Center Department of Pharmacy Services, Walgreen Company, California Society of Plastic Surgeons, California Orthopedic Association, and many others. 

One of the groups most impacted would be firefighters, for whom cancer has tragically become the leading cause of death. Glutathione, a powerful antioxidant produced naturally by the liver, has shown promising effects in countering toxins and reducing cancer risk. 

Organizations like the Volunteer Fire Foundation in Sonoma County have helped hundreds of firefighters detoxify using glutathione, giving hope to countless others exposed to carcinogens. Removing this option would strip firefighters of one of the most effective natural tools for combating the toxic exposure they face.

The BOP is set to raise this issue and may vote on it at their November 6-7 board meeting (scheduled to be addressed at 9:00 AM November 7), and anyone is welcome to join us in giving two-minute public comments. 

The proposed rules change by the BOP is not just a regulatory change; it can potentially disrupt the healthcare of millions of Californians. Patients suffering from chronic illnesses, including cancer and autoimmune conditions, as well as essential workers like firefighters who face heightened health risks, could lose access to life-sustaining treatments.

To sign the petition or learn more about how to get involved, visit stopthobop.com.