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In every field of medicine, there
are some patients who don’t respond to traditional methods of
treatment. Sometimes they need medicine at strengths that are not
manufactured by drug companies, or perhaps they simply need a different
method of ingesting a medication.
Pharmacy compounding meets these needs. It
provides a way for physicians and compounding pharmacists to customize
an individualized prescription for the specific need of their patient.
Compounding provides solutions which are not met by commercial products.
Q: What is compounding and what are its benefits?
Pharmacy compounding is the art and science of
preparing customized medications for patients. Its practice dates back
to the origins of pharmacy; yet, compounding’s presence in the
pharmacy profession has changed over the years. In the 1930s and
1940s, approximately 60 percent of all medications were compounded.
With the advent of drug manufacturing in the 1950s and ‘60s,
compounding rapidly declined. The pharmacist’s role as a preparer of
medications quickly changed to that of a dispenser of manufactured
dosage forms.
Within the last two decades, though, compounding
has experienced a resurgence as modern technology and innovative
techniques and research have allowed more pharmacists to customize
medications to meet specific patient needs.
There are several reasons why pharmacists compound
prescription medications. The most important one is what the medical
community calls “patient non-compliance.” Many patients are
allergic to preservatives or dyes, or are sensitive to standard drug
strengths. With a physician’s consent, a compounding pharmacist can
change the strength of a medication, alter its form to make it easier
for the patient to ingest, or add flavor to make it more palatable.
The pharmacist also can prepare the medication using several unique
delivery systems, such as a sublingual troche or lozenge, a lollipop,
or a transdermal gel or cream that can be absorbed through the skin.
For those patients who are having a hard time swallowing a capsule, a
compounding pharmacist can make a liquid suspension instead.
Compounding pharmacists have the opportunity to
work with a variety of practice specialties, such as hospice,
pediatrics, pain management, and OB/GYN, which in turn broadens the
scope of their practices and creates other opportunities to provide
other pharmacist care services. Your pharmacy can become a compounding
pharmacy – one that is committed to providing high-quality
compounded medications in the dosage form and strength prescribed by
the physician. This triad relationship between the patient, the
physician, and the pharmacist is vital to the process of compounding
so all three can work together to solve unique medical problems.
Q: Can children or the elderly use compounded
medication?
Yes. Children and the elderly are often the types
of patients who benefit most from compounding. Often, parents have a
tough time getting their children to take medicine because of the
taste. A compounding pharmacist can work directly with the physician
and the patient to select a flavoring agent, such as vanilla butternut
or tutti frutti, which provides both an appropriate match for the
medication’s properties and the patient’s taste preferences.
Compounding pharmacists also have helped patients
who are experiencing chronic pain. For example, some arthritic
patients cannot take certain medications due to gastrointestinal side
effects. Working with their physician’s prescription, a compounding
pharmacist can provide them with a topical preparation with the
anti-inflammatory or analgesic their doctor has prescribed for them.
Compounded prescriptions often are used for pain management in hospice
care.
Q: What kinds of prescriptions can be compounded?
Almost any kind. Compounded prescriptions are
ideal for any patient requiring unique dosages and/or delivery
devices, which can take the form of solutions, suppositories, sprays,
oral rinses, lollipops and even as transdermal sticks. Compounding
applications can include: Bio-identical Hormone Replacement Therapy,
Veterinary, Hospice, Pediatric, Ophthalmic, Dental, Otic (for the
ear), Dermatology, Medication Flavoring, Chronic Pain Management,
Neuropathies, Sports Medicine, Infertility, Wound Therapy, Podiatry
and Gastroenterology.
Q: Is compounding legal? Is it safe?
Compounding has been part of healthcare since the
origins of pharmacy, and is widely used today in all areas of the
industry, from hospitals to nuclear medicine. Over the last decade,
compounding’s resurgence has largely benefited from advances in
technology, quality control and research methodology. The Food and
Drug Administration has stated that compounded prescriptions are both
ethical and legal as long as they are prescribed by a licensed
practitioner for a specific patient and compounded by a licensed
pharmacy. In addition, compounding is regulated by state boards of
pharmacy.
PCCA’s Quality Control department is
exhaustively devoted to assuring the quality of the chemicals
received, repackaged, and sold to our members. Steps include obtaining
a Certificate of Analysis for all chemicals received, verifying the
identity of every bulk chemical received both before repackaging and
completing a second identity test after repackaging, conducting
regular tests of all chemicals in inventory, and verifying all unique
identifier numbers prior to shipping.
As a repackager of unformulated chemicals for
pharmacy compounding, PCCA is registered and inspected by the FDA and
DEA. The company is also licensed in the state of Texas and other
states where licensure is required.
Q: Are doctors aware of compounding?
Prescription compounding is a rapidly growing
component of many physicians’ practices. But in today’s world of
aggressive marketing by drug manufacturers, some may not realize the
extent of compounding’s resurgence in recent years. Ask your
physician about compounding. Then get in touch with a compounding
pharmacy – one that is committed to providing high-quality
compounded medications in the dosage form and strength prescribed by
the physician.
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