Effective January 1, 2015, updates will be made to
the Independence pharmacy policy on compound
medications. This policy is reviewed annually by the
Pharmacy & Therapeutics Committee to ensure it meets
the necessary standards and efficacy.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) defines
pharmacy compounding as the practice in which
pharmacists combine, mix, or alter ingredients to create
unique medications that meet the specific need of an
individual patient. Drugs are compounded for patients
who have allergic reactions to inactive ingredients in
FDA-approved medications or for those patients who
require a different formulation of a medication that is
not commercially available.
A compounded product is not considered medically
necessary when it replicates a commercially available
product (unless the commercially available product is
temporarily unavailable), contains a drug product or
component that has been removed from the market
because it is unsafe or not effective, or contains a
drug product or component that is excluded from the
member?s benefit.
Changes to the policy
Some of the key changes to the policy include:
- addition of the following inclusion criterium: the
compound is not used for an excluded benefit
(e.g., cosmetic);
- addition of authorization requirements;
- updates to applicable products.
To review the entire policy, go to our
Pharmacy Information page and select
Pharmacy Policy.