Safety of Compounded Medications

Compounded medications are medications that are prepared by compounding pharmacies to meet individual patients' needs that cannot be met by FDA-approved brand name or generic medications. This may be the case when a patient needs a different dose or route of administration or if a patient is allergic to a certain ingredient in an FDA-approved medication. While compounded medications help to fill a necessary gap, they can have significant safety issues. Due to lesser regulatory oversight, patient safety may be compromised due to contamination or inaccurate potency of compounded medications. Compounded medications should be prescribed only when an FDA-approved medication cannot be used, and the benefits outweigh the risks. Enforcement of adequate oversight by regulatory agencies and maintenance of strict safety precautions at the compounding facilities are needed to ensure patient safety.