In a woman’s life, the absence of menstruation for 12 months marks the official beginning of menopause. Waning ovarian function coupled with declining circulating hormone levels spark natural menopause, but menopause may also occur as result of surgical procedures such as following a hysterectomy and/or oophorectomy. Commonly reported symptoms of menopause include hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, sleep disturbances, mood swings and weight gain,1 with an estimated 70% of menopausal women experiencing weight gain.

The PCCA Research & Development (R&D) team constantly explores innovative ways to help meet the unique needs of patients. Using a multi-disciplinary approach, we developed SubMagna SL HMW, a self-emulsifying, sublingual delivery system, to accommodate a wide range of drugs with varying molecular weights — including those with a high-molecular weight. This innovative base is another way PCCA helps to fill the unmet needs of patients, prescribers and compounding pharmacies.

Administering medications to veterinary patients can be a challenging task for owners. Palatability issues with bitter drugs is very common and masking the taste of these drugs can be difficult. The logistics of simply giving an oral medication to pets often exacerbate existing challenges. However, delivering medications through the skin using permeation-enhancing vehicles may provide welcomed options for veterinarians and their patients, and serves as a prime example of how compounding shines by offering alternative delivery systems.

In the quest for effective weight management, traditional methods often take center stage — balanced diets, regular exercise and lifestyle changes. However, emerging research suggests that certain nutritional and pharmaceutical ingredients, such as berberine, alpha-lipoic acid, oxytocin and topiramate, may each in their own way offer alternative avenues for those seeking additional support in their weight loss journey.

EctoSeal P2G, our revolutionary powder-to-hydrogel base, is the first natural, biodegradable polymer base created for wound care preparations. Read about the motivation behind its development, as well as clinical applications, from PCCA Clinical Compounding Pharmacist Mark Gonzalez, PharmD.

ThinkNext: International Seminar 2023 (ThinkNext: ISTX23) was a huge success, attended by more than 400 global participants. We’re reviewing the pearls — highlights of key takeaways — from the event to rekindle memories and, for those who missed attending, inspire your participation next year.

Access scientific studies, which include images and videos, conducted by PCCA researchers that evaluated properties and performance of SuspendIt Anhydrous.

PCCA's Chief Scientific Officer Gus Bassani provides an important and exciting update regarding the work of our Research and Development department over the last 18 months.

Maria Carvalho, Manager of PCCA Science, provides an in-depth look at the science behind Ellage, the first ever anhydrous compounding base developed specifically for vaginal delivery of medications.

PCCA believes in providing pharmacies with the best quality equipment available on the market. When it comes to speed mixers for pharmacy compounding, we choose the FlackTek SpeedMixer®. Now let us tell you why.