In the field of pharmacy, compounding (performed in compounding pharmacies) is the preparation of a custom formulation of a medication to fit a unique need of a patient that cannot be met with commercially available products. This may be done for medical reasons, such as administration in a different format (ex: tablet to liquid), to avoid a non-active ingredient the patient is allergic to, or to provide an exact dose that isn’t commercially available.
A physician may choose to prescribe a compounded medication for a patient with an unusual health need that cannot be met with commercially manufactured products. The physician may choose to prescribe a compounded medication for reasons such as
- Patients requiring an individualized compounded formulation to be developed by the pharmacist
- Patients who cannot take commercially prepared prescriptions for a drug
- Patients requiring limited dosage strengths, such as a very small dose for infants
- Patients requiring a different formulation, such as turning a pill into a liquid or transdermal gel for people who cannot swallow pills due to disability
- Patients requiring an allergen-free medication, such as one without gluten or colored dyes
- Patients who absorb or excrete medications abnormally
- Patients who need drugs that have been discontinued by pharmaceutical manufacturers because of low profitability
- Patients facing a supply shortage of their normal drug
- Children who want flavored additives in liquid drugs, usually so that the medication tastes like candy or fruit
- Veterinary medicine, for a change in dose, changes to a more easily administered form (such as from a pill to a liquid or transdermal gel), or adds a flavor more palatable to the animal. In the United States, compounded veterinary medicine must meet the standards set forth in the Animal Medicinal Drug Use Clarification Act (AMDUCA)
- Many types of bioidentical hormone replacement therapy
- Patients who require multiple medications combined in various doses
