You might have heard last year's frightening outbreak of fungal meningitis in people caused by contaminated methylprednisolone acetate from a compounding pharmacy in the Northeast. A compounding pharmacy obtains raw ingredients for a drug and formulates them into a useable medication. They tend to operate below the radar of the FDA.
NPR did a great piece on the fungal meningitis outbreak, asking why anyone would use a compounding pharmacy if there is risk of the product being improperly formulated or contaminated. One answer: "[Hospitals] depend on compounding pharmacies for smaller dosages or preservative-free products. In a growing number of instances, it's a matter of national shortages with FDA-approved versions."
In veterinary medicine, we also rely on compounding pharmacies to provide a medication that is not commercially available. In other cases, it's to provide a formulation of a commercially available medication in a lower dose or more palatable form for pets.
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