white, yes or no, correct or not
correct. When it comes to safe
practice in compounding, there
are no gray areas.
Get to know
your compounder
Why use a compounder? The gov-
ernment's increased emphasis on
safety and quality will boost
prices, but it's still a very compet-
itive industry. And if you've decid-
ed to shun compounders altogether, you're likely paying more than you
need to for certain medications. For example, a product that's packaged
in single-dose containers may cost $40 for a 20 ml vial. But if you're
only using 2 or 3 mls and then throwing the rest out, you're wasting
money. FDA-registered outsourcers have been able to repackage prod-
ucts into 5 ml vials and sell them at reduced prices. If you do a thou-
sand injections a year, and pay $15 a vial instead of $40, you save your
facility $25,000 a year. I see it happening a lot as facilities continually
look for ways to save money.
What about 503A compounders, the companies that aren't looking
to manufacture sterile injectables? They may be fine for non-sterile
compounding, limited use or "one off" sterile compounds for a specif-
ic patient or doctor. But I still recommend reaching out and having a
discussion with any compounder you're thinking about using. How
professional and responsive are they? How organized are they? How
quickly can they answer questions?
I occasionally get calls from the sales teams of both 503A and 503B
facilities. When I do, I always ask to speak to a pharmacist. If the
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If previous issues
made you decide to
shun compounders
altogether, you're likely
paying more than you
need to for certain
medications.
