Although many Australians are using compounding pharmacies, many people are still unaware of the contribution they are making to healthcare and can make to their own health management. This article looks at compound pharmacies and how they are transforming healthcare in Australia and many other countries.
How do they differ from a community chemist?
- Community chemists in Australia are licenced to sell formulated, mass-produced medicines. Medicine manufacturers in Australia and abroad provide pre-packaged medicines to them.
- Compounding pharmacies are licensed to make medicine and health care products themselves at their own facilities. They are allowed to use raw and pharmaceutical ingredients. Compounded remedies are also known as personalised medicine because they are custom-made specifically for an individual patient.
By law, both types of institutions can not supply Schedule 4 or higher medicine unless it is on presentation of a script from a licensed practitioner. The community chemist will provide applicable mass-produced medication, while the compounding pharmacist will use the script to mix custom-made remedies. To ensure that the personalised medicine is safe and effective, the pharmacies preparing these remedies are strictly regulated.
The concept of pharmacists preparing remedies themselves
The concept of pharmacists mixing medicines in their own facilities is not new.Before the 1940s pharmacists were usually mixing remedies at their chemists. They made remedies according to a doctor’s script which listed the required pharmaceutical ingredients and indicated the ratio.The end product was prepared specifically for the patient.
Mass-manufacturing of medicines started in the 1950s. Patients favoured the professional packaging and many pharmacists welcomed the out-sourcing of the manufacturing process. Since then, most compounding pharmacies have changed to community chemists.
Although mass-produced medicines will never disappear again, some pharmacists will always make up scripts themselves and keep on playing an important role.
Why people use compounding pharmacies
There are several reasons why people prefer a customised compounding pharmacy such as Kennedy Pharmacy, a well-known Sydney pharmacy, which is providing customised remedies.
People with allergies
Sometimes there are ingredients in the mass-produced drugs that can cause allergic reactions. The ingredients can be preservatives, artificial colouring or any non-medical substance. Identical medication, but without the non-medical ingredients, can be prepared in a compounding pharmacy.
People who struggle to swallow pills
Many children and adults struggle to swallow large pills. Sometimes a patient is so gag-reflex sensitive that it is impossible to swallow any tablet. The tablet can be crushed but studies have indicated that up to a quarter of the ingredients gets lost in the crushing process. A pharmacist providing compound medication can make up the prescribed remedies in a personalised syrup for instance.
Combine multiple medications
If a patient has to use multiple medicines every day, it is better if a compounding pharmacist combines – in consultation with the prescribing doctor – multiple medications in one liquid, for instance.
Supply unavailable medication
When manufacturers cannot provide some common medication for a period, as during the COVID-19 pandemic, a compounding pharmacist can get a script from a doctor and make up the needed medicine. These chemists make it possible for patients to continue taking their medication even when the manufacturers cannot supply it for a period.
Provide discontinued mass-products
Sometimes effective medication is discontinued because it is not financially viable for the manufacturers to make it any more. A licensed medical practitioner can provide a script enabling the compounding pharmacist to prepare the medicine.
Home-delivery
Compounding pharmacies usually deliver the medicine they’ve prepared to the patient’s home. This is due to the way the medication is prepared. Usually, most medical practitioners send the script directly to the pharmacist who takes a few hours to prepare the medicine in accordance with the script. When the medication is ready, it is sent to the delivery address. In Sydney, pharmacy delivery is common practice.
Is there a future for personalised medicine?
In healthcare, mass-produced one-size-fits-all products are not so popular any more with patients in need of very specialised medication. If a patient needs medication that is not mass-produced, the compounding pharmacy can use the medical practitioner’s script and make and provide tailor-made products.
Conclusion
As medical research is increasingly indicating that patients can, in many instances, benefit more by using individually designed and mixed medication than taking mass-produced medicines, compounding pharmacies will always have a role to play. It is foreseen that mass-produced medicines on sale in community pharmacies and compounding pharmacies will always coexist as they each have a specific function in the “medication chain”.
