OK, it's a critter question but about a drug usually used in humans, so I'm putting this here in the hopes that someone with pharma knowledge might see it.

One of the drugs my dog needs is only available commercially in a capsule dosage that is too large for her. With many drugs I would simply open the capsule and divide the contents, but as this drug must be handled with more care than most it is not recommended that a lay person does so.

So while my vets are looking for a solution, I though of asking here, as many EFers have knowledge of the pharma industry.

So - do any of you know of a pharmacy or lab that is able to make drug dosages to order?

Many thanks.

In the US, a compounding pharmacy might do this.....does such an establishment exist here?

I did a search on compounding pharmacy Schweiz, and found an old post from you, meloncollie, about the Engel pharmacy......so you’ve checked with them, I assume.....

I have, and no luck in this situation.

I'm hoping my vet comes up with a solution soon, as this has to be a not uncommon issue when a dog smaller than your average person needs a drug.

But just in case, I'm just trying to nudge things along a bit faster.

(Note to self: Try to plan the next crisis for months other than summer holidays. )

Sorry to hear this....hope your pup will be ok.

I know you might not want to do it yourself, but is there a way to "cut" the capsule contents with an inert material in order to make it easier create the correct dosage?
Say capsule contains 1g of active compound and you need 0.1g, could you dump the capsule into 10g of flower and then take 1.1g of the mix as the dose?

I contacted the pharmacist for the Canton of Schwyz. Here's her response


Besten Dank für Ihre Anfrage. Grundsätzlich sollte jede Apotheke in der Lage sein, Kapseln nach Ihrem Wunsch herzustellen. Allerdings wird es so sein, dass aus einer grossen Kapsel dann mehrere kleinere Kapseln verabreicht werden müssen. Eine Alternative ist, die bestehende Kapsel zu öffnen und in der Nahrung zu verteilen.

Freundliche Grüsse

R. Willi
_________________________________
Dr. pharm. Regula Willi-Hangartner
Kantonsapothekerin SZ/UR/NW/OW/GL
Postfach 665
CH-6440 Brunnen
Tel. 041 820 43 70
Fax 041 802 40 85


Thank you for your inquiry.
In principle, every pharmacy should be able to manufacture capsules as you wish.
However, it may be that from one large capsule several smaller capsules need to be administered.
An alternative is to open the existing capsule and distribute it in the food.

Normally a proper pharmacist (ie university trained, not a shop assistant) is perfectly able to do it. It was done for my daughter when she was small and required medication that was found in adult dosage. This was prescribed by a doctor.

This is even more common in a university hospital pharmacy, where molecules regularly have to be tailored to a patient’s needs.

That being said, I’m not sure a pharmacist would agree to do it for an animal.

Don't see why not. I had human drugs prescribed for my dog by the vet and I got them at a pharmacy, so don't see why they wouldn't offer that extra service.... at the end of the day they get paid!

The Kantonsapothekerin says it's not a problem.

Pharmacies are regulated by the canton. In some cantons a compounding might need an additional permit(s) (St. Gallen, Bern, Zurich), in some others any pharmacy can be an compounding pharmacy as long as the follow the doctors prescriptions or the official approved formulas (Schwyz and Graubünden).

If in doubt ask if the pharmacy if they can provide medication according "formula magistralis" and "formula officinalis". If yes, you found a compounding pharmacy. The law explicitly allows this for animal as well.

Art. 9 Therapeutic Products Act
https://www.admin.ch/opc/en/classifi.../index.html#a9

The problem is, without some kind of directions is that meloncollie would need to phone every pharmacy in reach individually. Contacting even a small portion of all 2'000 Swiss pharmacies is ... too much.

A Kantonsspital, most certainly including Universitätsspital, usually has a big pharmacy annexed with infrastructure that far exceeds that of an ordinary pharmacy. Same for expertise, experience, practice, etc. This is the route I'd take, I'd forget the small pharmacies, even more so as the Kantonsapotheker (the overseeing body, no less) can't help.

I guess Zürich city is close enough from SZ to consider going there. So I'd call the Universitätsspital in Zürich, see if they can help, advise, or provide directions, and take it from there.

Just call those in Graubünden as they actually must be compounding pharmacies by law. A pharmacy which cannot handle a real doctor "Rezept"? (In German a doctors prescription is known as a "recipe") Unfathomable in Grison!

The Kantonsapotheker should know which pharmacies have a permit to act as a compounding pharmacy (in those cantons where an extra permit is needed).

I personally would go to a Apotheke/Drogerie as those very often have so called house remedies which they produce in house. This needs an additional approval. But I think you make it more complicated than it is. Here three Pharmacies in Canton SZ which should be more than able to repackage the capsules into smaller doses:

Like this one: http://www.hoefner-apotheke.ch/dienstleistungen/

Or this one:
https://www.medbase-apotheken.ch/apo...siedeln-engel/

Or this one
www.ruetli-apotheke.ch

Or in neighboring Zug:
https://achillea.ch/standorte/zug-apotheke#assortment

Or a pharmacy in Neuhausen SH:
http://www.zentralapotheke.ch/angebo...ezepturen.html

__________________
"Okay, I just hope we don't wake up on Mars or something surrounded by millions of little squashy guys."

See the reply by Frau Willi-Hangartner, apparently no permit is necessary in "her" area.