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PUB-008 / 2.1

Lessons from compounding for product development

Knowledge of daily use helps define specifications. Using it requires systematic records and testing; it does not automatically establish successful scaling or clinical benefit.

Collection and scientific editing: Stasinos Chr. SikaliasContent edition: 2.1Record editorial review date: 2026-10-14

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Clinical question and dosage form

Assessment starts with the patient, route, required dose and available authorised product. Document swallowing difficulty, device use, age-related excipient restrictions and allergies. Another dosage form may meet the need, but the change requires formulation, dose-delivery and clinical-suitability evidence. Sharing an active ingredient alone does not establish therapeutic equivalence.

Changes and process transfer

The same rpm in a different mixer does not establish equivalent mixing. Scale, impeller diameter, time, geometry and temperature affect the process. Assess packaging-material or excipient-supplier changes against the attributes they could alter. Document applicability in F-013 before reusing the previous dating decision.

From instructions to actual records

Master record F-002 specifies what should happen. Batch record F-003 records what happened: lots, weights, times, equipment, tests, yield, label and signatures. Enter records when work occurs. A correction retains the original information and adds reason, date and identity. Do not pre-sign results or release decisions.

From recurring need to research question

Repeated requests are a signal to investigate, not proof of market size or efficacy. Record a denominator, available solutions and why they do not meet the need. Define dosage form, concentration, device, duration and critical quality attributes. Then assess feasibility, scaling, testing and the appropriate regulatory route.

Performance judged against intended use

Transfer success is assessed against use-relevant attributes: actual strength, distribution between withdrawals, device, redispersibility and retention. Neither identical rpm nor equal mean mass is sufficient alone. The method must measure the specific attribute.

Sources and references

  1. PIC/S — Guide to Good Practices for the Preparation of Medicinal Products in Healthcare EstablishmentsPE 010-4, 1 March 2014Chapters 1–9; Annex 2 (nonsterile liquids, creams, ointments)Professional quality-system framework; not automatic national legal adoption or certification2026-10-14
  2. NAPRA — Model Standards for Pharmacy Compounding of Non-sterile PreparationsMarch 2018, clarification January 2022Sections 4–9Risk, personnel, facilities and QA; its historical BUD table is not used for current USP defaults2026-10-14
  3. EMA/ICH — Q14 Analytical procedure developmentStep 5, effective 14 June 2024; 4 April 2025 error corrections; current EMA PDF checked 14 October 2026Sections 1.2, 2–3, 5–6; glossaryCommercial drug analytical development guideline, used as an explicitly scoped scientific method-design framework; does not impose a universal assay panel or pharmaceutical registration obligations on a pharmacy.2026-10-14