What does “compounding” refer to in the pharmacy context?

In the pharmacy context, compounding refers specifically to the process of creating personalized medication dosages tailored to meet the individual needs of patients. This often involves combining, mixing, or altering ingredients to produce a medication that is not commercially available or to modify the formulation of existing medications to better suit a patient’s specific health circumstances, such as allergies to certain excipients or the need for a different dosage form.

For instance, a pharmacist may compound a liquid version of a medication for a child who has difficulty swallowing pills or may create a specific dosage strength that is not produced by pharmaceutical manufacturers. By allowing for such customization, compounding plays an essential role in achieving optimal treatment outcomes for patients with unique medical conditions.