San Angelo Drug Store Compouding Against Flu
By: KLST News
Updated: January 16, 2013
The influenza outbreak across the country is causing heavy traffic at hospitals and pharmacies. Since drug manufacturers can't anticipate large outbreaks or epidemics, drug shortages often prove the value of compound pharmacies, which manufacture drugs on-site .
"In compounding medication we actually take the capsules and we'll open them up, grind them down, sift the powder and we actually have to make a base suspension so that when we put the powder in the liquid, it will hold those powders in the liquid so they don't settle to the bottom."
This flu seasons intense outbreak has caused a nationwide shortage in the children's version of the drug Tamiflu.
"The manufacturer doesn't really want to make very much of the child suspension because it's not stable as a powder very long. It has a very short shelf date. The capsules they make and have an expiration date on them of 2-3 years and the kids suspension because it is a powder, is not."
But Meyers Drug in downtown San Angelo has plenty of Tamiflu for influenza stricken patients. Pharmacist Doug Chadwick says they make up to three batches of the drug a day. Pharmacy technicians use the manufacturers suggested process to create the compound.
"In doing that, we can ensure that we have good potency and that we have a good quality product when we are done. A lot of the other things that we make we will send out for testing. "
Myers Drug is in a league of their own in San Angelo when it comes to compounding and due to this seasons outbreak, that is causing long hours for technicians.
"Being the only one that can make this medicine, we are probably averaging 40-50 new patients a day and that's a lot. It creates quite a bit of work for us. We are all working early and late, but that's our commitment. "
And that commitment is why Myers Drug has been around for almost 80 years and they will continue to compound Tamiflu for as long as it is needed this flu season.
"In compounding medication we actually take the capsules and we'll open them up, grind them down, sift the powder and we actually have to make a base suspension so that when we put the powder in the liquid, it will hold those powders in the liquid so they don't settle to the bottom."
This flu seasons intense outbreak has caused a nationwide shortage in the children's version of the drug Tamiflu.
"The manufacturer doesn't really want to make very much of the child suspension because it's not stable as a powder very long. It has a very short shelf date. The capsules they make and have an expiration date on them of 2-3 years and the kids suspension because it is a powder, is not."
But Meyers Drug in downtown San Angelo has plenty of Tamiflu for influenza stricken patients. Pharmacist Doug Chadwick says they make up to three batches of the drug a day. Pharmacy technicians use the manufacturers suggested process to create the compound.
"In doing that, we can ensure that we have good potency and that we have a good quality product when we are done. A lot of the other things that we make we will send out for testing. "
Myers Drug is in a league of their own in San Angelo when it comes to compounding and due to this seasons outbreak, that is causing long hours for technicians.
"Being the only one that can make this medicine, we are probably averaging 40-50 new patients a day and that's a lot. It creates quite a bit of work for us. We are all working early and late, but that's our commitment. "
And that commitment is why Myers Drug has been around for almost 80 years and they will continue to compound Tamiflu for as long as it is needed this flu season.
