Human Medicine

CareFirst Compounding Services

Many patients have unique health needs that off-the-shelf, manufactured medications cannot meet. For these patients, personalized compounded medications prescribed by licensed practitioners and prepared by trained, licensed pharmacists can be a way to better health.

Compounding is fundamental to the profession of pharmacy and was a standard means of providing prescription medications before drugs began to be produced in mass quantities by pharmaceutical manufacturers. The demand for professional compounding has increased as healthcare professionals and patients realize that the limited number of strengths and dosage forms that are commercially available do not meet the needs of many patients, and that these patients often have a better response to a customized dosage form that is "just what the doctor ordered".

Working with a physician, a compounding pharmacist can meet individual needs of children, adults and animals. Whether it’s an allergy to a dye or ingredient, a need for a different strength, or a preference for a different dosage form, compounding pharmacists provide patients with solutions to meet their medication needs.

Our Compounding Professionals Can Prepare

• Unique dosage forms containing the best dose of medication for each individual.
• Medications that have been discontinued or are backordered due to a drug shortage.
• Medications free of problem-causing excipients such as dyes, sugar, lactose, or alcohol.
• Combinations of various compatible medications into a single dosage form.
• Special formulations or medications that are not commercially available.

Quality Compounding Maximizes Therapeutic Outcomes

The efficacy of any formulation is directly related to its preparation, which is why the selection of your compounding pharmacy is critical. Ongoing training for compounding pharmacists and technicians, state-of-the-art equipment, and high quality chemicals are essential. Experience and ingenuity are important factors as well. When tweaking a formula or developing a unique preparation, the compounding pharmacist must consider physical and chemical properties of both the active ingredient and excipients, solubility, tonicity, viscosity, and the most appropriate dosage form or device for administering the needed medication. Standard Operating Procedures should be in place, stability studies should be considered when compounding, and appropriate potency and sterility testing should be performed.