Physicians, pharmacists, and the importance of quality pharmacy compounding.

The adverse events associated with the New England Compounding Center are rare. Nonetheless, when they do occur, such events tend to gain a lot of press coverage, and the news stories are repeated over and over for months, resulting in an unfavorable impression of the profession of pharmaceutical compounding. It is evident and appropriate that pharmacy practice, including compounding pharmacy, is well-regulated and monitored. The fact is that compounded medications are a necessity for reasons such as commercial products not being patient-specific, the unavailability of limited dosage forms and strengths from manufacturers, drug shortages, and the unavailability of manufactured drugs for pediatrics, along with many other reasons outlined within this article.