Late night talk show host John Oliver recently skewered compounding pharmacies for what he said was a worrying lack of regulation, but the association representing the industry isn't laughing.

The International Academy of Compounding Pharmacists released a statement Monday criticizing the comedian for a recent segment on Last Week Tonight in which he painted a picture of a reckless and woefully unregulated industry. The group noted that Oliver acknowledged that compounding pharmacists provided an important service but took issue with his suggestion that more regulation is needed.

"Oliver asserts that there are too few pharmacy inspectors at the state level, and he might be right about that," IACP Executive Vice President Scott Brunner said. "But he seems to take the very real challenges of enforcing current regulation to mean that compounding should be more highly regulated."

Compounding pharmacies mix ingredients to create specialized medications for customers. Oliver called the industry the "Wild West" of pharmaceuticals where compounding medicines have a failure rate of 32% compared to less than 2% of those made by large pharmaceutical companies, according to a summary of the segment by Time magazine. He also pointed to what he characterized as unsafe medical practices—such as one compounding pharmacy that stored drugs in a bathroom—and fraudulent behavior by industry players.

Oliver also criticized the industry's attempts at self-regulation: "If you need everyone to obey a rule, it can't be voluntary." http://bit.ly/2oUywlr

Brunner responded by saying that "quality, safety and care are paramount to compounders' success." Pharmacists who violate those principles should lose their licenses.

"Pharmacy compounding is already among the most highly regulated health care professions," he said. "Both compounding pharmacies and patients benefit from that regulatory framework. But regulation works best when it is practical and not so onerous it impedes patient access." http://bit.ly/2mHEd5K

MORE CEO DATELINE

• U.K. group rips U.S. associations on climate
• Business groups seek action on trade despite impeachment fight
• Financial groups high on cannabis bill
• GMA rebrand emphasizes consumer connection
• Exhibitions association to launch Abu Dhabi conference