10+ years of service
Somewhere, buried deep beneath the stylish exterior of those Hazmat suits, are two of National Custom Compounding’s most enterprising pharmacists – Matt and Karen. They donned their finest chemist-couture to take part in a three-day course on sterile compounding last month, in preparation for the opening of NCC’s new sterile compounding lab scheduled for later this year.
When it opens, NCC will have the only fully licensed and accredited sterile compounding facility on the Gold Coast and one of only a handful in Queensland.
What is sterile compounding?
Most medications made in a compounding pharmacy are in the form of pills or medicines that are swallowed, cream that’s applied to the skin, or troches that are absorbed through the thin lining of the mouth. Sterile compounds on the other hand are products designed to be delivered straight into the blood stream or body tissue, usually by injection or sometimes via the eye. It’s highly important that these products are completely sterile to avoid any unwanted contamination entering the body’s bloodstream.
This is where the training comes in.
Who uses sterile compounding?
Specialists in the urinary tract (urologists), the eye (ophthalmologists) and musculoskeletal system (orthopaedic surgeons) often find they have need of made-to-order sterile medication to treat conditions with special challenges. It may be that the mass-produced drugs available through the usual channels do not meet the specific requirements of certain patients and a tailor-made solution is needed – which a compounding chemist can supply.
For more information on National Custom Compounding’s new sterile facility and the products it will produce contact Matthew Bellgrove on 1300 731 755 or [email protected].