Compounding III Flashcards
What are two very important records that each compounded product must have?
The master formula record and the compounding record
What is the master formula record?
The master formula record is the recipe that is followed to compound a preparation
*What you SHOULD do
What is the compounding log or record?
The compounding log or record is the log book of all products made at the pharmacy
*What you DID
What is the requirement for documentation in the compounding log?
The documentation in the compounding log must be detailed enough that another trained person can replicate the steps involved in the preparation, evaluate if the procedure was correct and trace the origin of all components
What must the pharmacy keep with regards to documentation of compounds?
The pharmacy must keep records of steps and processes that relate to the compounder product, such as equipment cleaning, calibration and maintenance, temperature logs for the refrigerator, freezer and room air, and the records of chemicals, bulk drugs and drug products
What must pharmacist do prior to preparing a compound?
The pharmacist will need to evaluate the prescription and determine if it is appropriate for the patient, and whether the proposed formulation is reasonable
When ready to compound, what are some examples of initial steps?
Calibrating equipment and weighing ingredients
What are some common final steps of compounding non-sterile preparations?
Packaging and performing quality control (QC)
What documentation must be reviewed prior to compounding?
Always review the Safety Data Sheets for each bulk ingredient to determine safety procedures for the staff who will compound the preparation, including the recommended the personal protective equipment (PPE)
What should be included in a master formula?
- Compound’s Official or Assigned Name, Strength, Dosage Form
- Calculations
- Ingredients, with quantities
- Stability & Compatibility data, with references
- Equipment
- Preparation/Mixing instructions
- Labeling information
- Packaging/Storage requirements
- Quality Control (QC) procedures, with expected results
- BUD, recommended
- Description of final product
What should be included in a compounding record or log?
- Compound’s official name or assigned name, reference # for Master Formula, Strength, Dosage Form
- Specific to this preparation: Ingredients (including manufacturers/sources, lot numbers & expiration dates), Steps followed, QC results, BUD, actual (assigned), Description of final product, The product’s assigned lot or prescription number (a duplicate prescription label can be attached to the log)
- Staff involved with the preparation: compounder, person who did QC, RPh who approved final product, with dates
Where should non-sterile hazardous drugs be compounded?
Preferably in a containment primary engineering control
*Efforts must be made to protect the staff with techniques to reduce exposure and all equipment used for HDs, including counting trays and spatulas, must be dedicated for HDs only, and sanitized after use
Where should final formulations of non-sterile HDs be placed?
The final formulations, when possible, should be placed into unit-dose sealed packaging, and placed into a plastic bag with a hazardous label
What should the minimal amount of PPE include?
Minimally, PPE should include a clean lab coat and gloves when preparing non-sterile, non-hazardous preparations
What are the typical initial steps for compounding non-sterile HDs?
1) Calculate the quantities needed for each component
2) Gather all the components and the equipment needed
3) Wash equipment, if needed, and calibrate
4) Perform hand hygiene and garb
What are typical completion steps of compounding non-sterile HDs?
1) Package the product and apply the container label and any needed auxiliary labels. A duplicate container label can be placed on the compounding record
2) Perform QC: validate the weight, check the product for mixing adequacy, color, clarity, odor, consistency and pH. Enter the measurements and observations in the compounding record
3) Counsel the patient, and if any subsequent ADRs are reported, add them to the compounding record
What is comminution?
Comminution means to reduce particle size by grinding, crushing, milling, vibrating or other processes (manual or mechanical)
What would be a suggested process of comminution?
The compounder likely starts off with coarse granules or broken tablet pieces. Powders will be finely ground into particles that range in size from 0.1-10 microns. After the powder has been ground, it is placed into a sieve
What are the purpose of sieves?
Sieves, which are sifters, are used to ensure that the particle size is uniform. The powder is put into the sieve and sifted through the mesh. Once placed into the sieve, the powder is stirred with a sieve brush or a plastic spatula to force the particles through the mesh
What determines the sieve number?
The sieve number is based on the number of holes per inch
*A high mesh size has many wires that make many holes, and only a fine powder will get through the mesh
What are three methods of comminution?
Trituration, Levigation and Spatulation, Pulverization
What is trituration?
A general term used to mean “mix thoroughly” (or make the product homogenous). Pharmacists most commonly associate trituration with grinding tablets with a mortar and pestle until a fine powder is achieved, but the term can describe liquids
What is levigation?
Levigation involves triturating the powder with a mortar and pestle and incorporating a small amount of liquid (called a levigating agent or wetting agent). This helps with the grinding process and creates a uniform paste
What is spatulation?
Spatulation is similar to levigation, but performed on an ointment slab with a spatula (not with a mortar and pestle)
What is pulverization by intervention?
Pulverization by intervention is used for crystalline powders that will not crush easily. The crystals are dissolved with an intervening solvent and mixed until the solvent evaporates. When the powder recrystallizes, the particles are finer
What is geometric dilution?
Geometric dilution is a method of mixing ingredients to ensure that ingredients are evenly distributed in a diluent or delivery vehicle
Describe the process of geometric dilution
A small amount of the drug is mixed into an equal amount of the diluent. After the initial small amount is thoroughly mixed, another equal amount of the ingredients is mixed in. This is repeated until all the ingredients are mixed together
*Geometric dilution can be used with dry powder ingredients alone, or when making a paste
What should be done if multiple ingredients are required for geometric dilution?
When using multiple ingredients, begin with the ingredient that has the smallest quantity, followed by the ingredient with the next smallest quantity, and up until each has been added. With each addition, the amount should be roughly doubled
What is a solution?
A solution is a solute dissolved in a solvent. Solutions are homogenous and if the solution concentration is too high, it can lead to unwanted precipitation. Solutions are usually for oral use
What are different types of solutions?
Syrups, elixirs, tinctures, spirits
What are syrups?
Syrups are oral solutions with sucrose, other sugars or artificial sugars
What are elixirs?
Elixirs are sweet hydroalcoholic solutions used for drugs that would be insoluble in a purely aqueous formulation (hydroalcohol is a mixture of alcohol and water)
What are tinctures?
Tinctures are plant or animal extracts dissolved in alcohol or hydroalcohol
What are spirits?
Spirits are alcohols or hydroalcohols of volatile, aromatic compounds, such as camphor. Volatile means the compound vaporizes (evaporates) easily
What is a suspension?
A suspension is a solid dispersed in a liquid. It is a two-phase heterogenous mixture
What is a wetting agent/levigating agent?
A wetting agent/levigating agent is a type of surfactant used to incorporate an insoluble drug into a liquid, which makes a suspension
What is considered a desirable suspension?
A desirable suspension does not have rapid precipitation of the solids; particles can be redispersed easily by shaking
What is an emulsion?
An emulsion is a liquid dispersed in a liquid. It is a two-phase heterogenous mixture. Emulsions are oil-in-water (oil droplets in an aqueous vehicle) or water-in-oil
What is an emulsifier?
An emulsifier is a type of surfactant that is used to reduce the surface tension between two liquids. The emulsifier allows the two phases to come closer together
*to make the emulsion, the emulsifier will need to be carefully chosen, according to the hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) number
What is precipitation/sedimentation?
Precipitation/sedimentation is when the dispersed phase settles (clumps) together. The process of a solid settling on the bottom of a container is sedimentation. This can happen with suspensions and emulsions, and less commonly with solutions. Shake or gently roll to re-disperse
What are the steps to prepare solutions?
Prepare the ingredients, and reduce the particle size of the drug/s to form a fine powder. This initial step in preparing any solution will be to determine if the solute will dissolve in the solution. The drug should remain soluble at different temperatures that may be encountered. Determine if the solution will be stable at the desired temperature. Flavorings, sweeteners and coloring agents can be added. Package the solution and apply appropriate auxiliary labels
How is dissolution rate calculated?
The dissolution rate is calculated using Fick’s First Law of Diffusion. A larger surface area, stirring the preparation and using heat will incease the dissolution rate
What are the steps to preparing suspensions?
Prepare the ingredients and reduce the particle size of the drug/s to form a fine powder. Wet the powder, and levigate to form a paste. continue to add liquid in portions. Add a surfactant to help keep the suspension dispersed. Transfer the mixture into a conical graduate or the container in which it will be dispensed and QS to the final volume. Package the suspension and apply a BUD
How do you prepare emulsions?
Emulsions can be made by either the Continental or English gum method; mixing oil, water and an emulsifier gum in a 4:2:1 ratio (4 parts oil, 2 parts water, 1 part gum)
Describe the steps of Continental (dry gum) method
1) Levigate the gum with oil
2) Add the water all at once
3) Triturate by shaking in a bottle or mixing in a mortar until a cracking sound is heard and mixture is creamy white
4) Add other ingredients by dissolving them first in solution and adding a quantity of water sufficient to make (QS) up to the final volume
5) Homogenize (with a homogenizer machine)
Describe the steps of the English (wet gum) method
1) Triturate the gum with water to form a mucilage (thick and sticky like mucus)
2) Add oil slowly while shaking or mixing
3) Add other ingredients as in the dry gum method
What are powders used for?
Powders are used to prepare tablets, capsules, inhalations, suspensions, ointments, creams and other topical treatments. Powders often include excipients
What is a glidant/lubricant?
Glidant/lubricant to improve the flowability of a powder: magnesium stearate
What is a surfactant?
Surfactant to neutralize the static charge and keep the powder from floating away: sodium lauryl sulfate
Describe the steps to prepare powders
Reduce the size of the powder. This may require breaking down tablets with a grinder, followed by trituration or levigation. Sift the powder through a sieve onto glassine paper. If the amount of powder per dose is very small, it will be necessary to add an inert filler (diluent). A filler could also be needed to provide a minimum weighable quantity if using a torsion balance
What is the order of melting ingredients?
For any formulation, if melting ingredients, melt the ingredient with the highest melting point prior to adding the ingredient/s with lower melting points. Line up the ingredients by the melting temperature, and melt in that order, starting with the highest melting point
What is a eutectic mixture?
A eutectic mixture means that the combination of the ingredients will melt at a lower temperature than either of the individual component’s melting temperatures. The lower melting point of the eutectic mixture allows it to penetrate the skin more easily than the individual components
Why can eutectic mixtures create difficult during compounding?
- If a pharmacist is not aware that the components for a eutectic mixture, the temperature on the hot plate can be set too high and the mixture can burn
- If the components are solid powders at room temperature, the mixture of the powders can melt and turn the mixture of the powders can melt and turn the mixture into a sticky mess, ruining the dry preparation. An adsorbent powder (magnesium oxide, magnesium carbonate or kaolin) can be used to keep the powder dry
What are capsules?
Capsules are soluble shells of gelatin or hypromellose, which are filled with the active drug, diluents and any other excipients
What are the most commonly used capsules in compounding?
Hard-shell capsules are used most commonly in compounding, and are filled with powders
What are soft-shell capsules used for?
Used mostly for oils
What is the purpose of glycerol and sorbitol?
Glycerol and sorbitol are used as plasticizers to make the capsules less brittle and more flexible
Describe the steps to prepare capsules
Capsules are made by first triturating the dry ingredients and geometrically mixing with the fillers/other excipients. the powder is put into the capsules by either hand filling or by using a capsule-filling machine
What is the hand-filling method?
To begin, the powder is placed on powder paper or on an ointment slab. The pile of powder is smoothed with a spatula to a height about a third of the length of the capsule. The open end of the capsule is repeatedly “punched” into the pile of powder until the capsule is filled. When the base is filled, it is fitted with the cap
What is the manual capsule-filling machine?
These are small devices that help the pharmacist quickly load 50, 100 or 300 capsules. Plates help sort the capsule bodies and hold them upright and in place. The powder is put above the capsules on to a plastic sheet where a plastic spreader is used to move the powder into capsules. A comb or tamper and a spreader are used repeatedly until the powder is packed into the capsules. Then, the caps are put over the capsule bodies
What are common capsule sizes?
Common capsule sizes range from largest (size 000, ~ 1 inch long) to smallest (size 5, ~0.4 inches long)
What are different types of tablets?
There are many types of tablets, including molded tablets, sublingual tablets, buccal tablets, orally disintegrating tablets, chewable tablets, effervescent tablets and compressed tablets
What is the most common type of table made in compounding and manufacturing?
The molded tablet is the most common tablet type made in compounding, and the compressed tablet is the most common type made in manufacturing
Describe the steps to prepare molded tablets
The first step to compound a molded tablet is to triturate the dry ingredients and mix by geometric dilution. Alcohol and/or water is added to moisten the powder. The powder mixture should have a pasty consistency, which can be molded into tablets (using tablet molds), and allowed to dry. Coloring and a coating may be added
What are lozenges?
Lozenges can be hard or soft tablets that slowly dissolve in the mouth, or chewable tablets that are easily chewed and swallowed. Lozenges/troches are generally used to deliver a medication that acts locally in the mouth
What do lozenges contain?
A lozenge contains the active drug in a base of sucrose or syrup for hard lozenges, PEG for soft lozenges and glycerin or gelatin for chewable lozenges. the base is melted, mixed with the API and excipients, placed into a mold and allowed to cool back into a solid
What are creams?
Creams are semi-solid formulations intended for topical use. They contain more than 20% water and up to 50% oil. They spread easily and are reasonably hydrating
What are lotions?
Lotions contain the most water, are more fluid than creams and can be poured. They are easy to spread on the skin and they absorb quickly
What are ointments?
Ointments contain the least water; 0-20%, with the remainder composed of oil-based product/s. Ointments are a good delivery vehicle to provide a barrier to exposure and prevent moisture loss which helps burn and scar healing