Specials

Rosemont's Specials vs Extemporaneously Prepared Medicines

Rosemont's Specials are a quality assured alternative to extemporaneously prepared medicines or in-house manufactured Specials as they are manufactured to the same strict GMP standards as our fully licensed products.

In addition to this, using our liquid products removes the burden of responsibility from the pharmacist in the case of making up medicines.
 
Often medicines prepared in-house have very short shelf-lives therefore requiring frequent manufacture of small batches. Our liquid medicines typically have a shelf-life of 9 months or more which saves additional preparation costs in time and resources.

How Are Our Specials Made?

Our Specials are manufactured from raw, active ingredients and excipients following a specially developed formulation for each product. We do not crush, dissolve or suspend tablets to produce our Specials. Patients treated with our liquids receive consistency in their medication, whether it is prescribed or administered in hospitals, primary care or at home.

We adhere to specially developed formulations, supported by batch records and stability testing. This allows for exact reproducibility of products from batch to batch and fully supported shelf lives most of which are 9 months or more. So there is no need to suffer the headaches of in-house production when Rosemont can produce the liquid medicines you need.

For more information about the more practical solution to in-house production click here. 

A Quick Guide To Specials
By Ian Strachan, Community Pharmacist

A Special can be defined as a non-licensed medicine manufactured to fulfil the prescriber's requirements.Doctors have the clinical freedom to prescribe unlicensed medicines if it is in the best interests of the patient. When presented with a prescription for a Special, the pharmacist has two options, either to make the product or purchase from a Specials manufacturer.

If solid oral dose forms are inappropriate for the patient due to chewing, the pharmacist is faced with suggesting suitable alternatives. Usually this is a simple matter of switching solid versions to liquid equivalents, suggesting a switch to a similar drug with a liquid version or suggesting an alternate route of administration. Occasionally standard alternatives are not immediately apparent and so the pharmacist must consider extemporaneous dispensing, or the involvement of Specials manufacturers.

Who Makes Specials?

It is worth keeping a record of Specials manufacturers and what products they can supply. When an unlicensed medicine is obtained from a bulk manufacturer, there should be an assurance about the quality of the medication, which not only safeguards the patient but also helps to mitigate personal liability. Specials manufacturers are not allowed to advertise Special products, because under the Medicines Act it is only possible to advertise licensed medicines.This means that it can be difficult to find information about Specials.

• Does the company hold a Manufacturer's Specials Licence?
• What is the turn-around time from an order being received to delivery?
• Does the company offer a 24 hour service if needed?
• Does the company specialise in any particular types of products?
• Does the company provide certificates of analysis?
• Does the company guarantee quality?
• Is professional advice available 24 hours a day, seven days a week?

The answers to these questions will help to ensure the quality of the medicines supplied. Specials can only be manufactured if a company has a Manufacturer's Specials Licence; this means that a Medicines Inspector from the MHRA can inspect the premises at any time.

The company is responsible for the quality of the product manufactured and should conform as far as possible to EEC directives with regard to labelling. Specials are an area where a pharmacist can make a great impact on the quality of life and care of an individual patient as well as playing a valuable role within the primary care team.