Compounding Errors

Abstract

Small pharmacies that produce and package (or repackage) specific drugs for individual patients are an important part of the medical landscape. These so-called compounding pharmacies formulate therapeutic and diagnostic products for physicians in practice and those engaged in research. They make individualized chemotherapeutic agents, noncommercial formulations (e.g., a liquid rather than a tablet) and doses, preservative-free and dye-free products, flavored products, combination products, products without specific allergens, diagnostic agents, and other customized products. These pharmacies are essential if our health care system is to serve populations with particular needs. Recently, the valuable role that such pharmacies fill has been eclipsed . . .