Brazilian National System for the Monitoring and Improvement of Compounding Practices: program outcomes.

Compounding pharmacies in Brazil have to comply with a complex and strict set of drug manufacturing regulations. The authors reported in the International Journal of Pharmaceutical Compounding (November/December 2009, Volume 13, Issue 6) on the development and implementation of a National System for the Monitoring and Improvement of Compounding Practices in Brazil, a process-focused program aiming to help compounding pharmacies improve drug manufacturing processes and meet the standards set forth by the applicable legislation This article reports the results obtained in the first three editions of the National System for the Monitoring and Improvement of Compounding Practices in Brazil (2006-2010) and presents new foci explored in the 2011 cycle. The results obtained over the years demonstrate that participating in the National System for the Monitoring and Improvement of Compounding Practices in Brazil has helped pharmacies achieve legal compliance and improve the quality of their preparations, which has contributed substantially to meeting quality standards never before achieved in the compounding sector in Brazil.

Setting up a national system of compounding pharmacies: preventing error, assuring quality, building trust.

Influencing the drawing of future legislation, gaining the confidence of consumers, prescribers, and government; and enhancing the communication with the medical profession are among the major upcoming challenges for compounding pharmacists worldwide. In our systematic effort to prevent eror and improve quality, we have learned that guidance is our main ally. When the Brazilian National Health Agency issued legislation that had a major impact on operating costs for compounding businesses, the Brazilian National Health Agency issued legislation that had major impact on operating costs for compounding businesses, the Brazilian National Association of Compounding Pharmacies, a nongovernmental organization, set out to tackle the many deadlocks resulting from the legislation.