Here Is Information On Compounding Pharmacy In Ocala FL

By Douglas Murray


Drug compounding is a procedure used by approved pharmacists in developing pharmaceutical compounds like drugs. The drugs are compounded so as to satisfy specific patient needs that may not be catered for by the drugs available in the market. This patient could be an animal or a person. The procedure is made up of packaging, mixing, assembling, labeling and altering medical ingredients just to mention a few. This is what any compounding pharmacy in Ocala FL is all about.

Certified pharmacists conduct or supervise the compounding process and they work with a prescription from a medical doctor. Certification by the state licensing board is a prerequisite before one can practice. On the flip side, commercial production of drugs may only be undertaken after attaining FDA approval. Prior to production of any drug, it has to be thoroughly tested and investigated by the FDA in order to make sure that it is effective and that its use is safe.

For compounded drugs, only state board approval is required while other drugs need to have the FDA approval. Production of the drugs is also done on a large scale since drugs are produced for commercial purposes. The drugs are then sold to hospitals, healthcare practitioners and pharmacies who in turn retail them to consumers. All enterprises that are involved in retailing the manufactured drugs should be authorized by state laws in order to run such businesses.

Compounded drugs cannot be sold to other entities in order to be distributed to end consumers. In fact, the drugs are not supposed to be commercialized. They are supposed to be produced for a specific patient or patients in exact dosage. The surplus that remains cannot be sold to other patients or commercialized because it is illegal.

Some kind of compounding activity is carried out by most pharmacies. For effective production of compounded medicine to occur, a pharmacy should make proper investment in acquiring equipment and providing staff with training. The employees in these pharmacies should be well trained and this can only be achieved in medical schools. Medical trainees can opt to specialize in compounding while still undergoing training so as to pursue this path in their careers.

The required tools for compounding include graduated cylinders, which are used to measure liquids. A pestle and a mortar are used for grinding ingredients. The materials are mixed using spatulas. Weighing scales are employed in weighing ingredients to achieve correct proportions. This procedure is carried out atop ointment slabs. All drug forms are produced, including ointments, creams, capsules and liquids. These may be swallowed, injected into muscles or blood or even applied on the skin.

The US has the largest count of compounding pharmacies across the globe. The count stands at approximately fifty six thousand pharmacies. Around 7,500 pharmacies major in production of compounded medicines. This means they majorly compound medicines. As such, there is easy access to these kinds of drugs.

Obtaining a prescription is compulsory for a patient before they are allowed to purchase compounded medicines. This serves to protect end users and to avoid abuse. Pharmacists are not supposed to compound medicines to patients unless they have verified the authenticity of the prescription provided.




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