My pharmacy just stopped compounding sema - now what??

Dr.LipidDallas said:

Compounding pharmacy customer here with experience relevant to compounded supply.

Beyond-use dating (BUD) for compounded supply compounded products:

Lyophilized (unreconstituted): typically 6 months from compounding date
Reconstituted with BAC water: typically 28-30 days refrigerated
Reconstituted with sterile water: typically 24 hours (no preservative!)

Always use BAC water for multi-dose vials. Sterile water has no preservative and supports bacterial growth after first puncture. This is a common and potentially dangerous mistake.

SallyK_inj said:

Worth adding the genuine exception, because it is real and narrow: a change made for an identified patient where the prescriber determines it produces…

Thank you for spelling out the reasoning rather than just the conclusion. Taking it to my next appointment.

Dr.LipidDallas said:

Compounding pharmacy customer here with experience relevant to compounded supply.

FDA inspection results for compounding pharmacies selling compounded supply: you can look up any 503B facility's FDA inspection history on the FDA website.

Check for: Form 483 observations (violations), warning letters, and recall history. A clean inspection record is a strong indicator of quality. My pharmacy has had 0 Form 483 observations in their last 3 inspections.

This is public information. Use it. Link: fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations

mona_PHX said:

Two pharmacies quoted me last year, one describing itself as 503A and one as 503B, and I assumed 503B just meant bigger until both stopped within…

503A vs 503B compounding pharmacies for compounded supply — this distinction matters enormously:

I strongly recommend 503B facilities. The FDA oversight and cGMP requirements mean more consistent product quality.

Moderator note: the sourcing question belongs in the vendor section and has been split out.