What type of pharmacy focuses on producing drugs that need to be mixed or compounded?

The focus of a non-sterile compounding pharmacy is primarily on the preparation of medications that require mixing or compounding to meet the specific needs of individual patients. This type of pharmacy is dedicated to creating customized medications, which may include altering the dosage form, flavoring, or combining multiple active ingredients into a single formulation.

In this context, the term "non-sterile" indicates that the compounding does not need to be performed in an environment that maintains sterile conditions, which is crucial for other types of compounding (such as sterile compounding found in infusion therapy pharmacies). This is essential for understanding the specific role and responsibilities of a non-sterile compounding pharmacy in the larger healthcare system.

Other pharmacy types have distinct focuses: infusion therapy pharmacies specialize in sterile preparations for intravenous administration, community pharmacies provide a broad range of medications to the public without emphasizing compounding, and nuclear pharmacies are involved in the preparation and dispensing of radioactive materials for therapeutic or diagnostic purposes. Each serves a unique purpose, but the non-sterile compounding pharmacy is specifically centered on creating customized, compounded medications as needed by patients.