Wedgewood Pharmacy introduces Tiny Tabs for Megestrol Acetate, Famciclovir

(Swedesboro NJ, November 30, 2009) In response to requests from veterinarians, Wedgewood Pharmacy is now compounding Tiny Tabs™ in Megestrol Acetate 5mg and Famciclovir 31.25mg. Megestrol Acetate may be prescribed by veterinarians for behavioral- and dermatological-related conditions in felines, while Famciclovir is often prescribed for Feline Herpes (FHV-1) infections. Neither Megestrol Acetate nor Famciclovir are commercially available in veterinary health, so veterinarians often cut the human-health tablets into quarters or eighths for their patients. Cutting the tablets, however, can cause variation in the dose the animal receives. Administering the medication in a Tiny Tab ensures that the animal gets the prescribed dose every time.

Tiny Tabs, available exclusively from Wedgewood Pharmacy, are a 6.25mm custom-compounded tablet dosage form for pilling finicky pets that won’t cooperate and take medication in another form. The small size of Tiny Tabs may make it easier for pet owners to pill their animals, especially with difficult-to-administer or bitter-tasting medications. Tiny Tabs are smaller than a Tic-Tac® and may cost less than other dosage forms, such as capsules.

Said Jodi Donohue, veterinary health product manager at Wedgewood Pharmacy, “When veterinarians cannot find medications in the appropriate dosage form or strength their patients need, they know they can call Wedgewood Pharmacy. We are able to custom-compound medications in the precise strength in dosage forms that may make administration easier, increasing the likelihood that patient will take the medication the veterinarian prescribed.”

A compounding pharmacy creates customized medications for individual patients in response to a licensed practitioner’s prescription. Wedgewood Pharmacy is one of the largest compounding pharmacies in the United States, serving more than 25,000 prescribers of compounded medications. It is located in Swedesboro NJ and licensed throughout the United States.

Because every patient is different and has different needs, customized, compounded medications are a vital part of quality medical care. The basis of the profession of pharmacy has always been the "triad," the patient-prescriber-pharmacist relationship.

Through this relationship, patient needs are determined by a prescriber, who chooses a treatment regimen that may include a compounded medication. Prescribers often prescribe compounded medications for reasons that include (but are not limited to) the following situations:

• When needed medications are discontinued by or generally unavailable from pharmaceutical companies, often because the medications are no longer profitable to manufacture;
• When the patient is allergic to certain preservatives, dyes or binders in available off-the shelf medications;
• When treatment requires tailored dosage strengths for patients with unique needs (for example, an infant);
• When a pharmacist can combine several medications the patient is taking to increase compliance;
• When the patient cannot ingest the medication in its commercially available form and a pharmacist can prepare the medication in cream, liquid or other form that the patient can easily take; and
• When medications require flavor additives to make them more palatable for some patients.

For additional information, visit the International Academy of Compounding Pharmacists’ Web site at www.iacprx.org and www.compoundingfacts.org.