Compounding Practices in Europe: Extemporaneously Compounded Oral Medicines in European Hospital Pharmacies

Pharmaceutical compounding corresponds to the preparation of customised medicines in order to meet the specific needs of patients, which cannot be met by the proprietary medicines provided by the pharmaceutical industry. Historically, pharmaceutical compounding dates back to the very origins of pharmacy and, ever since, it has been an integral part of pharmacy practice. Nevertheless, little is known regarding current compounding practices in Europe and, therefore, the aim of this project was to identify and characterise the oral compounded medicines most frequently dispensed in European hospital pharmacies.