October 21, 2026 MGB Pharmacy Week: 503a vs 503b - A Tale of Two Statutes

October 21, 2026

“503a vs 503b - A Tale of Two Statutes"

Valerie Nguyen, PharmD

 

Target Audience

This activity is intended for all clinical, operational, and administrative pharmacists in inpatient, outpatient, and ambulatory care settings as well as all pharmacy technicians working inpatient and outpatient.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this activity, participants will be able to:

  1. Differentiate the regulatory, quality-assurance, and liability obligations of outsourcing facilities (503B) versus traditional compounding pharmacies (503A).
  2. Evaluate the appropriateness of using a 503B outsourcing facility versus in-house 503A compounding for a specific clinical use case (e.g., shortage management, batch preparation).
  3. Analyze an FDA warning letter or product recall to identify the compounding practice deficiencies that led to regulatory action.

Additional Information

Provided by: 

Massachusetts General Hospital - Department of Pharmacy & Mass General Brigham

Course summary

Available credit: 
  • 1.00 ACPE Pharmacy
  • 1.00 ACPE Technician
  • 1.00 Participation
Course opens: 
10/08/2026
Course expires: 
11/21/2026
Event starts: 
10/21/2026 - 2:00pm EDT
Event ends: 
10/21/2026 - 3:00pm EDT
Cost:
$0.00
Part of: 
MGB Pharmacy Week 2026
Add to calendar: 

Ramy Elshaboury, PharmD - Course Director
Director of Clinical Pharmacy Services & Graduate Pharmacy Education, Massachusetts General Hospital
Director, Residency Program for PGY-2 Infectious Diseases Pharmacy Residency - Massachusetts General Hospital

Valerie Nguyen, PharmD
PGY-2 Pharmacy Resident, Health System Pharmacy Administration & Leadership Program
Massachusetts General Hospital

In support of improving patient care, Mass General Brigham is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

Credit Designation Statements

Pharmacy
This activity provides 1.00 contact hour (1.00 CEU) of continuing education credit. ACPE Universal Activity Number (UAN): JA0007437-0000-26-025-L03-P

Pharmacy Technicians
This activity provides 1.00 contact hour (1.00 CEU) of continuing education credit. ACPE Universal Activity Number (UAN): JA0007437-0000-26-025-L03-T

Available Credit

  • 1.00 ACPE Pharmacy
  • 1.00 ACPE Technician
  • 1.00 Participation

Price

Cost:
$0.00
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