Technology has advanced every element of healthcare over the years. Without the use of x-ray machines and heart monitors, for example, medical professionals wouldn’t be able to identify and treat a wide range of illnesses and injuries, and they’d be less able to save lives. Mobile apps for healthcare systems have also made it easier for patients to monitor and understand their wellbeing.
The pharmaceutical manufacturing process is no exception to this trend. Today, medication can be produced more quickly and accurately than ever before thanks technology that enables large-scale manufacturing to get products to shelves. For pharmacy compounding, a specific subset of the industry, this means customized medicine can be made to order more efficiently, without compromising quality.
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What Is Pharmacy Compounding?
“Pharmacy compounding” describes the following process: when a pharmacist with accreditation from their relevant state board performs and supervises the creation of medication.
Among other things, it’s a way to create customized medications that meet patient’s specific needs. Drug manufacturing, on the other hand, is a mass production method; in the US, it’s overseen by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
There are two types of pharmacy compounding:
- 503A: Facilities that make medication for patients with specific prescriptions. They’re required to comply with United States Pharmacopoeia (USP) guidelines and other restrictions, and can only be dispensed for home use. Medication made in this way must be manufactured in small quantities.
- 503B: Outsourcing facilities that can manufacture large amounts of medication, both with and without prescriptions. These medications can then be distributed to healthcare facilities and produced in large batches.
Understanding the history of 503 outsourcing highlights how significant an impact technological advancements have made on pharmacy compounding.
How Has Technology For Pharmacy Compounding Evolved?
When topical treatments are made using pharmacy compounding methods, both manual and electrical techniques are utilized. Some pharmacists prefer to use an old school mortar and pestle, or a spatula and pill tile, to grind and mix chemicals. However, this method isn’t the typical compounding method recommended by industry bodies like the USP—especially if the facility works on many different types of medications.
Another issue is that manual pharmacy compounding is difficult to standardize due to the potential for human error. Aspects such as the physical pressure applied when crushing base ingredients can vary each time, for example.
The invention and implementation of electronic mortar and pestles have completely revolutionized the pharmacy compounding process. They have:
- Made the compounding process more time efficient
- Guaranteed consistency with pressure applied
- Freed up the time of pharmacists, so they can multitask.
Other technology involved in pharmacy compounding include:
- Analytical balances
- pH meters
- Refractometers
- Spectrophotometers
- Microbiological testing kits
These technologies help ensure all medications that are made via compounding are safe and that their dosage is accurate. Without the technological advancements in pharmaceuticals, the process of creating medication would still be very long and it would remain difficult to guarantee efficacy.
How is 503B Pharmacy Compounding Different To 503A?
The production of 503B pharmacy compounding involves a lot more testing and more safety procedures. Technology is used to check the chemical construct of the medication and ensure it is safe. 503B facilities in the US have to:
- Validate every process in line with the Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) regulations
- Produce multiple batches to be submitted for testing and stability before being sold
- Review all raw material suppliers
- Comply with onsite inspections by certified quality personnel.
Pharmacists must comply with these procedures to ensure the validity and accuracy of every medication they create. This makes sense, since without strict guidelines, poorly prepared medication could result in serious illness for consumers.
How Do Pharmacy Compounds Benefit Medication Production?
There are multiple benefits to using pharmacy compounding, and the technologies involved help make this rigorous manufacturing process possible. Some benefits of this type of medication development include:
- It may make medication easier to use or tolerate
- It’s typically easier to create different dosages if needed
- It can accommodate allergies and intolerances
- It offers customized services pharmacy chains don’t offer.
Traditional drug manufacturing isn’t usually able to achieve the above because medications are created en masse and not on an individual basis.
Conclusion
In summary, technology has advanced pharmacy compounding in a variety of important ways. The introduction of tools like the electronic mortar and pestle, among others. These tools assist pharmacists in creating consistent products with accurate ingredient amounts when producing medication via compounding. Pharmacy compounding allows the unique dosage needs of different people to be accommodated.
On the whole, technology continues to advance medicine, and pharmacy compounding is no exception.
