Few stories illustrate this better than that of Michael Strouse, a firefighter who nearly lost his vision due to chemical exposure, and the compounding pharmacist who refused to give up on him: Robyn Crow, RPh. Michael's journey is one of recovery, but it's also about the fight for access to life-changing treatments — and advocacy's critical role in ensuring no patient is left without options.

Talking to doctors can be intimidating. Whether you're a seasoned compounding pharmacist or just starting out, the idea of walking into a physician's office and pitching the benefits of personalized medicine might feel daunting. What do you say? How do you make it worth their time? And — let’s be honest — how do you avoid sounding like a salesperson?

This Profile in Personalized Medicine features Danielle Bush, CPhT, Nonsterile Training Supervisor at Town & Country Compounding in Ramsey, New Jersey. The pharmacy has been a proud PCCA member since 1985.

Both hair growth and anti-aging fall beneath the dermatology umbrella: hair is an appendage of the skin, while anti-aging is directly related to skin aesthetics and health. Dermatologists often refer patients to compounding pharmacies for personalized solutions to issues in these areas. In this article, we review specific hair growth solutions and preparations as well as anti-aging compounds.

Compounding pharmacists offer unique solutions tailored to meet specific patient needs and should have the opportunity to share these options appropriately in their communities. While promoting awareness of compounding services is vital, it’s important to thoughtfully approach how you market the services your pharmacy provides. Poorly executed marketing can attract regulatory and legal scrutiny. As such, it’s essential to understand that all marketing content, including publicly available materials, are subject to review by regulators and legal entities

A forthcoming documentary from the LDN Research Trust gives compounding pharmacists, physicians and prescribers an opportunity to learn about a group of complex and debilitating syndromes that affect one in six Americans — syndromes that occur in almost every part of the body, often accompany each other and collectively exacerbate the patient’s pain and other symptoms. This article briefly summarizes these syndromes and their overlapping symptoms and discusses how you can help educate providers in your community — as well as your staff and patients — about their effects, along with the potential use of low-dose naltrexone (LDN) in compounding preparations.

Running a pharmacy without a strategy is like navigating a stormy sea without a compass. As a pharmacy owner, you're often caught up in daily operations, reacting to the chaos of the days, weeks and months. Before you know it, the year has flown by and you're simply celebrating survival. This article explains how strategic planning benefits your practice, including tips to get started.

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is the most common vaginal infection that affects women around the globe. In addition to its effects on total health, BV can significantly impact reproductive wellness. The condition is thought to originate from a decrease of Lactobacilli in the vagina, resulting in an imbalance in the natural vaginal microbiome.1 In the following article, we explore the pathogens associated with BV and challenges with commercial treatments, as well as compounding options and an innovative base that may potentially improve patient compliance.

Our Profiles in Personalized Medicine highlights PCCA USA’s and PCCA Canada’s 2024 award winners, including recipients of our inaugural Compounding Technician of the Year award. Join us in celebrating their work and dedication to patients and prescribers, as well as their tireless efforts to advocate for our profession.

Suspensions are pharmaceutical dosage forms consisting of insoluble active ingredients dispersed in a base vehicle. An ideal suspension should be uniform in content so each dose contains an equivalent amount of one or more — most likely one — active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). We briefly review oral suspensions and why content uniformity is vital in compounded preparations, as well as showcase the most studied oral suspension, in the following article.