What are compounded medications?

 

Most people would describe the medication they take as being made by a drug manufacturer in manufacturing plant or factory.  In fact, this is correct for the majority of prescription medications.  Sometimes though, manufactured medications cannot meet the needs of some patients.  Examples of these situations include:

• A child needs a medication in a liquid form, but it only comes as a capsule.

• A patient needs a medication that is no longer manufactured.

• A patient needs a dose that is not manufactured.

• The commercially available product is not available.

• A patient is allergic or cannot tolerate an ingredient in a manufactured product.

• A pet needs a medication flavored so that they will willingly take it.

 

Compounding is the Art and Science of Creating Personalized Medications​

 Compounded medications are “made from scratch” – individual ingredients are mixed together in the exact strength and dosage form required by the patient. This method allows the compounding pharmacist to work with the patient and the prescriber to customize a medication to meet the patient’s specific needs.​

 

A Brief History of Compounding

At one time, nearly all prescriptions were compounded. With the advent of mass 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, and most pharmacists no longer were trained to compound medications. However, the “one-size-fits-all” nature of many mass-produced medications meant that some patients’ needs were not being met.​

 

Innovative Compounding Technology & Techniques Meet Patient Needs

Fortunately, 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.Trained, PCCA member pharmacists can now personalize medicine for patients who need specific:

• Strengths

• Dosage forms

• Flavors

• Ingredients excluded from medications due to allergies or other sensitivities