Pharmacy Compounding Services: 3 Ways the Pharmacies Remove Static from Powders

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Pharmacy Compounding Services: 3 Ways the Pharmacies Remove Static from Powders

30 December 2016
 Categories: , Blog


When compounding several different medications or pharmaceutical compounds together to create an ideal medication for you, the compounding service will first have to remove any lingering static that clings onto the powders. Some pharmaceutical compounds have a charge on them, and this 'static cling' can cause the powders to either clump up or stick to reloading components and tools. To give you a better understanding of the complexity behind compounding services, here are 3 ways that pharmacies remove static from the powders they work with.

Let the Powder Sit in a Metal Bowl

One of the simplest and easiest ways to remove 'static cling' from pharmaceutical powders is to let the static dissipate naturally. This basically means that the pharmacy will need to let the powder sit in a metal bowl for some time until no static can be detected. This is the one of the many reason behind the wait times of the compounding services you need. Keep in mind that this technique is only used for pharmaceutical compounds that are not reactive to metal.

Mix an Anti-Static Agent with the Pharmaceutical Compounds

In the event that the 'static cling' cannot fully dissipate naturally from the pharmaceutical powder, the compounding service will attempt to mix in an anti-static agent during the compounding process. They will first need to identify all of the chemical compounds within the medications you need to determine whether any of the compounds will react with the anti-static agent. If there's no known reaction, they'll proceed with adding an anti-static agent as a filler.

Use an Ionizer or Demagnetizer

Depending on the compounding process that is involved, the equipment that the compounding service will be using might contain an ionizer or a demagnetizer. These devices will remove any lingering static charges on pharmaceutical powders that the compounding service is working with. The ionizer or demagnetizer is usually found attached to the entrance of an electronic balancer although it may also be a separate equipment by itself in some cases.

Mixing and compounding pharmaceutical components is certainly not as easy as it looks. To ensure that the final product is effective and contains all of the active ingredients that you need, the compounding service must determine whether any of the powders used will have a static charge to them that needs to be removed first before they can be mixed with other pharmaceutical compounds. Contact these services to learn more.