Five-year trends in hospital extemporaneous compounding prescriptions in Thailand: A real-world study

Context: Extemporaneous compounding is used when an appropriate commercial medicine is unavailable or unsuitable for an individual patient. This service is particularly important for pediatric patients and during periods of medicine shortage. Aims: To describe trends in extemporaneously compounded prescriptions and formulation types at a general hospital in Thailand from January 2019 to June 2024. Methods: A retrospective descriptive study was conducted using prescription records extracted from the Hospital Information System of Warinchamrap Hospital. Eligible records included prescriptions containing at least one extemporaneously compounded medicine. Patient demographics, healthcare coverage, formulation type, therapeutic category, and prescription volume were summarized using frequencies and percentages. Results: A total of 66,517 compounded prescriptions were identified for 22,917 patients. Most patients were aged 10 years or younger (84.6%), and most were covered by Thailand’s Universal Coverage Scheme. Oral liquids accounted for most compounded prescriptions, mainly favipiravir and oseltamivir suspensions. Fourteen formulations were routinely prepared, including ophthalmic, otic, and oral liquid preparations. Conclusions: Hospital-based extemporaneous compounding was shown to be an important pharmacy service for maintaining access to individualized medicines, especially for pediatric patients. The findings support the need for standardized master formulas, validated stability data, and stronger quality-assurance systems in hospital compounding units.