Non-sterile compounding guides and resources
Plain-language guides to the documents and decisions the non-sterile compounding standards require, written by a pharmacist. Each one names the published source it relies on, so you can check it.
Start with these guides
Three questions every compounding supervisor has to answer: which level applies, what goes in a master formulation record, and what an assessor will look at.
Level A, B and C explained
What each level requires, how the decision algorithm works, and why the same drug can sit on different levels in different pharmacies.
What goes in a master formulation record
Every element the guidance document lists, the beyond-use date rules, and the difference between the record and the compounding record.
What OCP assessors check
The Ontario College's assessment criteria, section by section, with the documents to have ready.
All guides
- Level A, B and C in non-sterile compounding
What the three levels of requirements mean, how the decision algorithm works and why there is no list of preparations by level. - The OCP risk assessment template, question by question
The 17 questions of the Ontario College’s template, what to write for each, and what the two worked examples show. - What goes in a master formulation record
Every element the guidance document lists, the beyond-use date rules, and how the record differs from the compounding record. - What OCP assessors check in non-sterile compounding
The College’s assessment criteria, section by section, with the documents to have ready. - The non-sterile compounding SOP list
The 33 policy and procedure topics in the guidance document and which ones apply to your pharmacy. - NIOSH 2024, WHMIS and hazardous drugs in compounding
How the 2024 NIOSH list is organized, where WHMIS fits, and what “occasional small quantity” means in practice. - Draft national compounding standards: where things stand
What the 2026 consultation draft proposed, what NAPRA has said since, and what to do in the meantime.
Official sources
- Model Standards for Pharmacy Compounding of Non-Sterile Preparations (NAPRA)
- Guidance Document for Pharmacy Compounding of Non-Sterile Preparations (NAPRA)
- Non-sterile compounding practice topic and FAQs (Ontario College of Pharmacists)
- Non-Sterile Preparations Assessment Criteria (Ontario College of Pharmacists)
- Standards for Pharmacy Compounding of Non-Sterile Preparations (Alberta College of Pharmacy)
- NIOSH List of Hazardous Drugs in Healthcare Settings, 2024 (NIOSH)
- Policy on Manufacturing and Compounding Drug Products in Canada (POL-0051) (Health Canada)
Would you rather have the documents written for you?
That is what we do: master formulation records, risk assessments and policies and procedures, written for your pharmacy by a pharmacist.