Wedgewood Pharmacy CEO receives highest Annual Alumni Award from Philadelphia School of Pharmacy

(Swedesboro NJ, September 28, 2009) George J. Malmberg, R.Ph., F.A.C.A., F.A.C.V.P, the pharmacist president and chief executive officer of Wedgewood Pharmacy (Swedesboro NJ) was the 55th recipient of the Annual Alumni Award from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy (PCP) of the University of the Sciences. It is the school’s highest alumni recognition, given for outstanding contributions to the profession, science and mankind. Malmberg, a resident of Wilmington DE, received the award at a ceremony Saturday evening.

A 12-person committee of his peers chose him for the honor. Siobhan Duffy, co-chair of the committee, presented the award.

On receiving the award, Malmberg said, “PCP graduates are literally responsible for the existence of the modern pharmaceutical industry. PCP graduates have shaped and continue to shape our profession and its organizations; and PCP graduates are now training the next generation of professionals. To be included among these people is a tremendous honor to me.”

Malmberg received a bachelor of science in pharmacy from PCP in 1972. As co-founder, president and chief executive officer of Wedgewood Pharmacy, he and his wife, executive vice president, Lucy Malmberg, transformed the company from a local community pharmacy they purchased in 1981 into a specialized compounding pharmacy that is now one of the largest in the United States, serving more than 25,000 veterinary and human-health prescribers nationwide.

In 2002, the Malmbergs were leaders of the coalition that argued successfully before the Supreme Court that The Food and Drug Modernization Act of 1997 (FDAMA), which prohibited pharmacists from advertising or promoting compounded drugs, was a violation of their First Amendment rights. In 2005, they were instrumental in forming the International Academy of Compounding Pharmacists' (IACP) public affairs task force, which created an advocacy program centered around Patients and Professionals for Customized Care (P2C2), a Web site that provides tools for compounding pharmacy advocates to influence public policy. In 2007, a coalition led by the group prevented Federal legislation, which would have severely restricted access to compounded medications, from being introduced.

At University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, students embark on a challenging learning experience in a proving ground for successful professionals in the healthcare-related fields. A private, coeducational institution dedicated to education, research, and service, and distinguished as the nation’s first college of pharmacy, the University has produced leaders in the healthcare marketplace since its founding in 1821, including founders of six of the top pharmaceutical companies in the world. With undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degree programs in such disciplines as pharmacy, bioinformatics, physical therapy, healthcare business, and health policy, the 3,000 students in the University of the Sciences’ five colleges learn to excel in scientific analysis and to apply their skills to improving healthcare in their communities and in the lives of people worldwide. For more information about University of the Sciences, visit www.usp.edu.

Wedgewood Pharmacy is one of the largest compounding pharmacies in the United States, providing more than 25,000 prescribers with compounds for their human and veterinary patients. A compounding pharmacy creates customized preparations for individual patients in response to a licensed practitioner’s prescription. It is located in Swedesboro NJ and licensed nationwide.

For additional information about the compounding pharmacy profession, visit the International Academy of Compounding Pharmacists’ Web site at ICAPRx.org and CompoundingFacts.org.