The National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities (NAPRA) team responds to queries from various sources. One of the most frequently asked questions comes from pharmacy professionals seeking clarity on the implementation of NAPRA’s compounding standards.

NAPRA publishes model standards of practice that can be implemented as seen fit by the pharmacy regulatory authority (usually the College of Pharmacists) in each province or territory, based on the needs in that jurisdiction. Each pharmacy regulatory authority will review the model standards and determine how best to use the document in their jurisdiction.

As a result, there can be differences in how each province or territory implements and verifies compliance with the standards. This also applies to NAPRA’s suite of standards of practice for non-sterile, sterile-hazardous and sterile, non-hazardous compounding.

When inquiring about the compounding standards, it is always best for pharmacy professionals to contact the pharmacy regulatory authority in their province or territory for more information on compliance with the standards in their jurisdiction. They may have additional information to provide about whether or not particular situations may be acceptable.

A list of pharmacy regulatory authorities in Canada can be found on the NAPRA website.