COMPOUNDING OF MEDICINES

The pharmaceutical institution Galena Lab, thanks to its professional and technical capabilities, has been offering compounding services for many years.

A compounded medicine is a medicine prepared in a pharmacy according to a physician's prescription for a specific patient, as personalized therapy.

Compounding begins after evaluation of the received prescription and risk assessment. Based on this, the pharmacist selects the formulation (composition, form, dose, preparation procedure). Choosing the appropriate pharmaceutical form for the intended route of administration (oral, topical, application to the eye, nose or ear) ensures flexibility in dosing through an acceptable volume or mass of the medicine. The compounded medicine must be acceptable to the patient: easy to use with minimal frequency of administration and ensured dosing reproducibility. The use of excipients is minimized while achieving good tolerability and acceptability. The compounded medicine must also meet economic requirements through an appropriate price, as well as ease of transport and storage.

Thanks to the implementation of standardized procedures and quality assurance systems — from receipt of the prescription, through preparation to dispensing — our graduate pharmacists and pharmaceutical technicians, in cooperation with a pharmaceutical technology specialist, guarantee that the compounded medicine meets the efficacy of an industrially manufactured medicine, complies with all applicable safety and quality requirements, and can serve as an adequate substitute for an industrially produced medicine.

Compounding medicines offers us a range of possibilities:

1. Provides access to medicines no longer available on the market

When major drug manufacturers discontinue production of a particular medicine, patients are unable to access the required therapy. A compounded medicine allows that medicine to be prepared using high-quality pharmaceutical substances and the latest knowledge of pharmaceutical formulation.

2. Enables preparation of medicines that are easier to administer

Some medicines have a very unpleasant taste or form that is difficult or unpleasant for certain patient groups. This is especially common in elderly patients, very young children, or even animals.

3. Allows adaptation of the pharmaceutical form

In certain cases, patients require an adapted or modified pharmaceutical form. A modification of a commercially available medicine is performed — for example, converting a tablet into a liquid oral form for patients who have difficulty swallowing.

4. Allows dose customization

Some patients require a medicine in a dose not commercially available. This is addressed precisely through compounding the medicine in the required dose.

5. Enables preparation of medicines for patients with allergies

Allergies or intolerances to certain ingredients of commercially available medicines can be avoided through compounding, where specific substances are omitted to prevent adverse effects in patients who are intolerant to dyes, preservatives, lactose, gluten, sugar, or emulsifiers.

6. Allows combining multiple active substances

Compounding allows multiple active substances to be combined into a single pharmaceutical form, achieving a simplified dosing regimen and improving patient adherence.

Our compounding laboratory has over 300 active pharmaceutical substances, vitamins, and minerals from verified, accredited suppliers, whose quality is tested and confirmed in our quality control laboratory. Sterile medicines are prepared by specially trained pharmacists in the pharmacy section dedicated to aseptic compounding using isolator technology. We provide patients with all essential information about the therapy and use of the compounded medicine. Advice must always be appropriate, objective, unambiguous, accurate and precise.

We prepare a large number of medicines used in the treatment of various conditions, particularly in the fields of dermatology, gynecology, and ophthalmology, as well as in the treatment of certain specific and rare metabolic and other diseases. Preparations are made in accordance with current Good Pharmacy Practice principles.

We particularly highlight the preparation of veterinary medicines, upon a veterinarian's prescription. Depending on the species, age, and health condition of the animal, as well as its physiological and anatomical characteristics, medicines can be prepared in various pharmaceutical forms: eye drops or ointments, syrups, powders, capsules, pastes, ointments, emulsions, and others. The dose is tailored to the pet's needs, enabling solutions to common therapeutic challenges encountered in veterinary medicine. Our plans in veterinary medicine and pharmacotherapy go a step further, focusing on the development of the most modern pharmaceutical forms for veterinary medicines and adapting the taste of the medicine to the individual preferences of each animal.