The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 270 No 7238 p303
1 March 2003

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Letters to the Editor

Dispensing

We must retain extemporaneous dispensing skills

From Mr M. Bennett, FRPharmS

I was pleased to see that Christopher Wragg (PJ, 8 February, p188) drew attention to small scale manufacturing of simple preparations — something that appears to be a disappearing art.

Fiona Cruickshank (PJ, 15 February, p227) went on to question whether or not the activity is cost-effective and safe in practice today. The cost-effectiveness is governed by the remuneration rules which pay a pittance for extemporaneous dispensing and a king's ransom for the supply of "specials".

In the United States some pharmacies class themselves as "compounding pharmacies" and these specialise in small scale manufacturing. This might be a model that could be developed here with one pharmacy in each primary care trust becoming the recognised "compounding" pharmacy with the equipment, trained staff and volume of work necessary to ensure that it can safely manufacture simple preparations. The cost of providing this facility would fall to the PCT but it would speed up supply to the patient and might turn out to be cheaper.

Extemporaneous dispensing is one of pharmacy's unique skills. It is important that we devise strategies that enable us to retain such functions.

Martin Bennett
Sheffield

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