Ensuring Quality and Safety in Compounded Medications

Chances are, you have heard about compounded medications and compounding pharmacies. And for good reason. Obviously, each and every person is unique and different — and the way each of our bodies responds to medications is also different. For example, your body may react positively to a particular stimuli or drug, while someone else could have a strong negative reaction to the same drug.

For this reason, compounding pharmacies began to compound medications, meaning that the specially trained pharmacists create unique and one of a kind medications, tailored especially for each patient’s individual needs and wants, as well as his or her unique situation. Through the process of compounding, pharmacies can create custom blended prescription medications that will benefit the patient, without the negative side effects that could possibly come along with unnecessary medications.

While the specific art of compounding medications dates all the way back to ancient times and the process of compounding continues to evolve, the quality and safety of compounded medications remains at the forefront of the compounding pharmacy industry. For this reason, ensuring quality and safety in compounded medications is an important and crucial step for pharmacists and pharmacies alike.

You may be asking yourself, “Well, how are they ensuring quality and safety in compounded medications?” There are several important steps or processes that must be taken in order to make sure that the compounded medications that we offer are not only of the highest quality, they are also safe.

Step #1: We are proudly accredited by the Pharmacy Compounding Accreditation Board, or the PCAB. Truly, this step is essential in the profession of compounding medications. Perhaps you remember hearing about a meningitis outbreak in several states that was linked to injectable medications that originated from a compounding pharmacy.

As upsetting as this story was and remains to hear about, it is also important to understand that through a close investigation, it has been determined that the pharmacy in question was NOT accredited by the PCAB. Currently, there are more than 150 compounding pharmacies nationwide (more than 20 in the state of California alone) that are PCAB accredited. Be sure to look for this important designation in your compounding pharmacy.

While every compounding pharmacy is individually regulated by its own state board of pharmacy, there is variation in the requirements from state to state. By being accredited by the PCAB, this ensure that a compounding pharmacy has met and passed the very highest standards for quality and safety in the compounding profession.

The PCAB was originally founded by eight leading independent national pharmacy organizations, including the United States Pharmacopeia (USP), and remains governed by these organizations today. The PCAB requires pharmacies to adhere to the strictest procedures and policies, including stringent and consistent testing of their finished products.

Step #2: There are two different kinds of compounding in which a pharmacy can specialize. These are non-sterile compounding and sterile compounding. Of the more than 7,500 pharmacies in the United States that offer compounding services, less than one half provide sterile compounding. Not surprisingly, the process of sterile compounding requires separate equipment and additional procedures to ensure that the finished products remain sterile.

About Pacifica Compounding Pharmacy

At Pacifica Compounding Pharmacy, we specialize in integrative and progressive approaches to your healthcare needs. We take pride in ensuring quality and safety in compounded medications, and we offer specialized and unique compounded medications for your various needs, including pain management and hormone therapy. We even offer compounded medications for your family pets. Our individualized approach to healthcare specialties allows us to address your individual needs, creating unique medications designed to meet your needs and minimize any potential negative side effects.

If you are interested in learning more about how this unique philosophy can help serve your individual needs, spend some time browsing through our site to learn more about compounding. We have also compiled a list of outside resources, perfect for you to reference to gain further understanding. If you have any questions or if you are interested in learning about how compounding medications can help you, feel free to contact us today. We look forward to hearing from you!