Custom compounding of medicine has been practiced by pharmacists since the earliest days of pharmacy. In fact, there was a time when all medicines were custom made. But since the advent of high-volume pharmaceutical manufacturing, most people today are familiar only with manufactured medicines.
In the 1950s, pharmaceutical companies appeared and changed the way medications were made. They were able to manufacture medicine on a large scale to serve many patients. Around the same time, insurance companies started affecting the way medicine was prescribed by doctors and filled by pharmacists, changing the pharmacist’s role to dispensing more so than compounding. The result was a decline in the need or reimbursement for compounding, and the large chain pharmacies of today became the new norm. As long as people continue to have unique needs for custom medications, or medications become commercially unavailable, there always will be a need for compounding. That is why doctors still write prescriptions for compounds today.
Learn how to talk to your doctor about compounded medications
We've recently published information about how to talk to your doctor about compounded medications. It is a downloadable booklet from our website. In it, you will get a comprehensive overview of
- What compounding is and how it may help you
- When compounding is appropriate
- How to start a conversation with your doctor about compounded medications
- How to choose the compounding pharmacy that's right for you
Your copy of Talk to your doctor about compounded medications from Wedgewood Pharmacy is now available for download.
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Phil Scully, R.Ph.
Technical-Services Pharmacist |
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About Phil Scully:
Philip A. Scully, R.Ph., technical-Services Pharmacist for Wedgewood Pharmacy, works with prescribers and their staff to develop custom formulations. He is a member of the Formula-Change Control Committee and Quality Review Board of the company and works closely with Research & Development.
Scully is experienced in all aspects of the compounding-pharmacy specialty and has developed unique expertise in compounding formulations, flavoring and oral dosage-forms. He has been in the pharmacy profession since 1993 and has worked at Wedgewood since 2003.
He is a Registered Pharmacist in New Jersey and was a certified primary diabetes educator. Previously, he was director of Operations/pharmacist-in-charge for Winslow's Pharmacy: An Omnicare Company (Vineland NJ); a consultant pharmacist with Cherry Hill Pharmacy LTC (Cherry Hill NJ) and was pharmacist-in-charge for an independent pharmacy.
He holds a B.S. degree in Pharmacy from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia.
Disclaimers:
The views expressed on this blog are solely those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or positions of Wedgewood Pharmacy.
Medications compounded by Wedgewood Pharmacy are prepared at the direction of a veterinarian. Many compounded preparations are commonly prescribed, and supported by literature, to treat particular disease states, but you should always consult your veterinarian before taking or administering any compounded medication. Wedgewood Pharmacy does not make claims for the efficacy of its compounded preparations.