The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), the leading trade association for the dietary supplement industry, today demonstrated its commitment to educating pharmacists through a grant in support of continuing education (CE) programs on dietary supplements for retail pharmacists.

“According to our annual CRN Consumer Confidence Survey, 40 percent of consumers say that they trust pharmacists as a reliable source of information on supplements, second only to doctors,” said Judy Blatman, vice president, communications, CRN. “It’s so important that we help ensure pharmacists have appropriate education options when it comes to learning about our industry and its products. We selected Drug Store News Pharmacy Practice as the accredited education provider because of their long-term expertise in providing pharmacists with practical continuing education programs.”

The grant will allow retail pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to receive CE credits from one or two courses, by choosing either an on-line or in-print version. Drug Store News will market the program to pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and pharmacy schools through a series of promotional emails, postcards and advertisements placed in the publication.

The first home study lesson—“The Regulation of Dietary Supplements”—will be presented by industry consultant Annette Dickinson, Ph.D. It will be delivered in the April issue of Drug Store News Pharmacy Practice to 88,000 retail pharmacists and through an Internet based live webinar that will be presented twice in late February to allow for maximum participation. The program will also be available on the Drug Store News CE web site for three years. Participants who successfully complete the print program will receive two CE contact hours of credit, while webinar participants will receive one CE contact hour of credit.

Dr. Dickinson, known for her expertise in dietary supplement regulation, will teach the participants about current and upcoming regulatory issues for supplements, with a particular focus on implications for consumers and the kinds of questions they may have for their pharmacists. This CE program will specifically address questions such as how dietary supplements are regulated; what pharmacists should know about dietary supplement regulations; what the new good manufacturing practices (GMPs) for dietary supplements mean; what the new adverse event reporting (AER) law means and what procedures should be taken if a pharmacist receives a report; and other upcoming issues relating to regulation of dietary supplements.

The educator for the second home study lesson is still to be determined; however, the topic will focus on dietary supplement research and the paradigm of prevention, presenting information on how dietary supplements are being studied by the scientific community and comparing research models for drugs and dietary supplements.

 “We appreciate CRN’s educational grant and decision to work with Drug Store News. Our CE program for pharmacists has been in existence since 1979 and we are a trusted source for this important audience,” said Kimberly Werner, Pharm.D., program director, CE Programs, Drug Store News. “Pharmacists are on the front lines when it comes to talking to consumers about their health decisions, so it is important that they are well-informed and well-educated. We are pleased that through this grant CRN is supporting the important role pharmacists play in communicating with consumers.”