How are they made?

Specials manufacturing is a unique and important part of the pharmaceuticals industry. Traditionally, pharmacists used to mix their own medicines, but these days most Specials are manufactured by pharmaceutical companies in dedicated manufacturing facilities.

Currently, to manufacture specials in the UK, a company must hold a ’Specials Manufacturer's Licence’ which is granted by the MHRA.

This type of Specials manufacture has largely replaced the traditional method of ’in pharmacy’, or ’extemporaneous’ preparation and although pharmacists still possess the necessary skills to prepare medicines, in most cases it is a costly, time consuming process. See Supplying a Special - A decision guide for Pharmacists - RPS.pdf For this reason the majority of pharmacists now choose to order from a recognised Specials manufacture so they can be assured of reliability, safety and consistancy.

Most Specials are made individually or in very small batches and dispatched within hours of the order being received from a pharmacist. The patient will usually be able to collect their prescription the following day.