History of extemporaneous compounding in Australia: changes and developments in the Australian Pharmaceutical Formulary

Background: The Australian Pharmaceutical Formulary (APF) has diversified in content and grown in size. Change can be indicative of progress within, and influences on, a profession. Aim: To determine variations to the formulary sections of the 22 editions of the APF (1902 to 2012) with respect to dosage forms, ingredients and compounding methods. Method: Each formula in the APF was entered into a customised Excel spreadsheet with descriptors including formula type, dosage form, active ingredient and route of administration. Data were analysed using features in Excel. Results: A total of 1197 different formulae were identified in the 22 editions of the APF. The first edition consisted almost entirely of formulae (81% of the total number of pages) and this percentage decreased considerably to 3% to 5% in APFs published since 2002. The greatest number of formulae (n = 496) were included in 1934 (APF6), the edition which also had the greatest number of new formulae (n = 307). Most new formulae appeared for the first time between 1930 and 1964 (APF 5 to 9). A total of 47 different dosage forms were identified and the top 5 in descending order were mixtures (17%), solutions (8%), ointments (7%), eye drops (6%) and creams (5%). Most of the formulae contained in APF22 originated from APF9. Conclusion: The number of formulae has decreased in the APF over time, with recent deletions based on lack of safety and efficacy data or due to the availability of commercial products. There have been comparatively few alterations to the formulary section in the last decade