U.S. flag An official website of the United States government

On Oct. 1, 2024, the FDA began implementing a reorganization impacting many parts of the agency. We are in the process of updating FDA.gov content to reflect these changes.

  1. Home
  2. Drugs
  3. Guidance, Compliance, & Regulatory Information
  4. Human Drug Compounding
  1. Guidance, Compliance, & Regulatory Information

Drug Compounding

Compounding is generally a practice in which a licensed pharmacist, a licensed physician or, in the case of an outsourcing facility, a person under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist, combines, mixes or alters ingredients of a drug to create a medication tailored to the needs of an individual patient.

Compounded drugs are not FDA approved, which means the agency does not verify their safety, effectiveness or quality before they are marketed. Although compounded drugs can serve an important medical need for certain patients, they also may pose a risk to patients.

FDA’s compounding program aims to protect patients from poor-quality compounded drugs, while preserving access to lawfully-marketed compounded drugs for patients who have a medical need for them.

Email us: compounding@fda.hhs.gov

Sign up for compounding and Compounding Quality Center of Excellence emails


Sub-Topic Paragraphs

Additional information about compounded drugs

Compounding Risk Alerts

Compounding risk alerts help health care professionals and compounders understand risks associated with certain compounded drugs


Sign up for email alerts on Compounding

Get regular FDA email updates delivered on this topic to your inbox.

Back to Top