The preparation of compounded drugs, being an ancient practice of sole responsibility of the pharmacist continues to be an important reality in the context of contemporary drug therapy in most developed countries. In fact, despite the time of preparation of medicines in exclusive workshop range it is already some distance away, reserve a number of situations, the scope has been widening, for which the compounded drugs are essential.

The patient, a central element of all activities of health professionals, are entitled to the drugs most suited to their pathophysiological profile, which can either be produced by the industry as prepared in the pharmacy.

Often, prescription pills still provide therapeutic alternatives with clear advantages in terms of pharmacoeconomics, in relation to manufactured drugs. This fact, whose importance in the current context can not be neglected, together with the possibility of such individualisation of therapy, are two basic aspects, which contribute decisively to enhance patients' adherence to therapy.

The filling niches not occupied by the pharmaceutical industry is another area where the products handled are of great importance. There are active ingredients of proven therapeutic utility, whose corresponding pharmaceuticals for various reasons - sometimes purely economic - are discontinued or fail to be introduced. Fall into this latter situation the active substances designated orphan, for which the industrial production of medicinal products is not economically viable, because they are open to small groups of patients. Moreover, since the manufactured drugs necessarily limited to a number of dosages and galenic forms, is relatively common market in the absence of appropriate medication for a particular patient. This has particular relevance in areas such as Pediatrics, Geriatrics, the Oncology and also in patients with swallowing difficulties. Indeed, in many of these situations it becomes necessary to adjust the doses to be administered or preparation of galenic systems likely to be administered by the means available.

Magistral formulas also allow associations to promote active substances not available in the market for manufactured drugs, where such strategies are justified in terms of Pharmaco. This need occurs with great frequency in the field of Dermatology and, more recently, control of chronic pain in patients.