Pharmacy Daily | Back to the lab they go

OVERSEAS, more pharmacists are returning to their laboratories and offering an additional service in their pharmacies that is often overlooked: the preparation of "galenic formulations", ekathimerini.com reported last week.

These formulations include ointments, syrups, creams, suppositories and customised pills, explained the publication.

They are prepared to a high standard in the pharmacist's laboratory, following a doctor's prescription, and tailored to meet the specific needs of each patient.

This practice is particularly valuable when the required medication is unavailable in the right form or dosage, or when it is scarce or no longer available on the market, the publication has reported.

Recently, the School of Pharmacy at the University of Athens hosted the first two educational seminars organised by the Panhellenic Pharmaceutical Association and the Institute for the Lifelong Education and Professional Development of Pharmacists (IDEEAF).

Two more seminars were scheduled this month in the Attica region in Greece.

IDEEAF President Serafim Zikas expressed his excitement, stating, "there has been overwhelming interest, and all 160 available seats were filled within just three days of announcing the seminars."

According to the Australian Society of Compounding Pharmacists there are approximately 500 pharmacies offering some form of compounding service with the number growing all the time.

With roughly 43% of the world's commercial drugs being manufactured in China, 39% in India, 13% in the United States and 5% in other countries (not Australia), & the nation importing 90% of its medicines, compounding pharmacists can help with shortages as they have access to raw materials and with a script from the patient's doctor, can make up the unavailable or discontinued medication, safely in their laboratory.