Compounding Pharmacy
A pharmacy that prepares customized medications for an individual patient based on a prescriber's order.
A compounding pharmacy prepares customized medications by combining, mixing, or altering ingredients to meet an individual patient's prescription. Unlike a traditional pharmacy that dispenses mass-manufactured products, a compounding pharmacy creates the formulation on a per-prescription basis.
Compounding pharmacies are used when a patient needs a strength, ingredient combination, dosage form, or excipient profile that is not commercially manufactured. Common examples include flavored suspensions for pediatric or veterinary patients, transdermal hormones in custom strengths, dye-free reformulations for patients with allergies, and discontinued products that are no longer made commercially.
Compounding pharmacies operate under state board of pharmacy oversight and follow United States Pharmacopeia (USP) standards. Sterile compounding (injectables, ophthalmics) is governed by stricter USP rules than non-sterile compounding.
Compounded medications are prescription-only. Patients work with their prescriber to determine whether a compound is appropriate, and the compounding pharmacy prepares what is written on the prescription.
Related Terms
503A Pharmacy
A traditional compounding pharmacy that prepares medications for individually identified patients based on a prescription.
503B Outsourcing Facility
A federally registered outsourcing facility that can prepare batches of compounded sterile medications without a patient-specific prescription.
Sterile Compounding
Preparation of compounded medications that must be free of microbial contamination, such as injectables, IV admixtures, and ophthalmics.
Non-Sterile Compounding
Preparation of compounded medications that do not need to be sterile, such as oral suspensions, capsules, and topical creams.