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What is compounding pharmacy, and why do you need one?

Here are a few things you should know about our compounding services at our Medilab Compounding in Brandon, Florida:
What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of a Pharmacy? Perhaps it is the community pharmacy in your locality where you frequently go shopping for medicines, or maybe you recall the pharmacies situated in a hospital. Regardless, these typical examples aren’t the only types of pharmacies today.
Other types of pharmacies are known to serve specific purposes. One of the most prominent of these is compounding pharmacy.

What is Compounding Pharmacy?

Compounding pharmacies are known for developing drugs prescribed by doctors but customized accordingly to meet the specific requirements of patient requirements that cannot be met by traditional commercial medication.
For instance, let’s say a person is allergic to a particular ingredient in the commercial variant. Compounding pharmacies can then come to the rescue by developing a personalized version of that drug. As a result, the person can consume safely without being concerned about allergic side effects or other health issues.

How Many Types of Compound Medicines are there?

There are two types of compound medicines – sterile and non-sterile. You may come across pharmacies that possess specialty in both or only one kind of compounding. Pure compounds consist of the following dosage forms:

  • Irrigating solutions
  • Injections
  • Ophthalmic
  • Inhalation solutions
  • Eye drops
  • Infusions
A significant issue with pure compounds is the higher risk of infection if contaminants find their way into the medication. Therefore, pure compounds are generally developed in a closed and controlled environment to avert such dangers. Non-sterile compounds, on the other hand, consist of the following dosage forms:

  • Creams
  • Gels
  • Capsules
  • Troches
  • Medicated lollipops
  • Specialty deodorant sticks
  • Suppositories
  • Mouthwashes
  • Rectal and vaginal suppositories
Non-sterile compounds have fewer risks associated with them and are thus considered relatively safer compared to their counterpart.

Benefits of Compounding Pharmacy

The most prominent benefits of Compounding Pharmacy are as follows:

  • First, to make them more palatable, people can have flavors added to otherwise unsavory tablets and drops.
  • Patients can have medicines customized according to their specific requirements to address health concerns or prevent allergic reactions to medication.
  • Finally, a pharmaceutical scientist can concoct a single dosage by mixing various prescriptions for improved medication conformity and convenience.

Who Needs Compounding Pharmacy?

Compounding medications hold life-saving benefits for specific individuals. They are ideal for people who are sensitive to traditional medicines because of the ingredients involved. There can be a plethora of reasons behind compound medications becoming a necessity.
In hindsight, compound medicines can prove necessary if:

  • Patient exhibits allergies or faces challenges when consuming pills
  • The medication is off-label
  • Pharmacies develop distinctive supplements
  • Prescription is for children
  • The cocktail of medicines prescribed to a person can be potentially harmful.
  • Drugs aren’t commercially available.

What Type of Medications Can Be Compounded?

Pharmaceutical scientists can now develop a wide range of compound medicines thanks to modern technology. Moreover, these medicines can be heavily customized to address specific health-related issues that concern certain people.
The following are examples of a few commonly prescribed compounds today:

  • Prescriptions for thyroid support and adrenal dysfunction
  • Medicines capable of managing therapeutic and aesthetic concerns
  • Plant-based hormones in different dosage forms suitable for bio-identical hormone therapy
  • Medications like muscle relaxants and anti-inflammatories target specific pain areas on the body without any side effects.
  • Dermatological Compounds for different skin conditions Veterinary Compounding for all types of animals
  • Weight Management
  • Erectile Dysfunction
  • Men’s and women’s health

Regulatory Bodies that Monitor Compounding Pharmacies

It is mandatory for pharmacists who indulge in the development of compound medicines to comply with established standards and regulations. These regulations are dictated by certain government agencies tasked with ensuring the drugs developed by compounding pharmacies are safe to consume.
Following are the names of agencies in charge of regulating pharmacies that develop compound drugs:
1. State Boards of Pharmacy
Their role is to ensure that compounding pharmacies comply with the dictated state regulations and pharmacy practice.
2. Drug Enforcement
Administration (DEA) They are a state agency that inspects compound medications to determine whether any controlled substances were used as ingredients in their making.
3. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
The FDA is tasked with monitoring the safety of ‘Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients’ commonly used in the development of compound medicines.
United States Pharmacopeia Convention
This is a non-profit organization that establishes standards about compounding. Their role is to issue standards that ensure the quality and purity of dietary supplements, food ingredients, and medications used in developing compounds are impeccable.

The Bottom Line

Compounding pharmacy might seem like an alien concept for those who are uninitiated. However, the current market trends suggest that it is only growing in popularity and demand with each passing day. The worldwide market value of compounding pharmacy stood at $ 8.9 billion in 2020. This number is expected to balloon further by up to $21.3 billion in 2031. The sales of compounding pharmacies have been on a steady rise since 2016, with a CAGR of 4.4%. In addition, we have specialty pharmacies working closely with local manufacturers to make customized compound medicines more accessible. The above guide will tell you everything you need to know about compounding pharmacies. As such, you are in a better position to decide when to opt for the service of a compounding pharmacy to acquire customized medicines that best address health concerns unique to you. Those are just a few of the many things that you will want to keep in mind when it comes down to compounding. If you would like to find out more about this or our Medilab Compounding shop in Florida, please do not hesitate to contact Medilab Pharmacy for more information.
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