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HISTORY AND EVOLUTION OF COMPOUNDING IN PUERTO RICO
Compounding is part of Puerto Rico's (PR) historic development. The chronological history of pharmacy in PR is as follows:
* 1512 - The first Spanish pharmacist arrived in PR and established the first pharmacy in America, as described in the Royal Decree of Graces, a legal order approved by the Spanish Crown, of February 23, 1512.1
* 1767 - Hospital de Ia Concepción El Grande had the first hospital pharmacy with "Boticario Mayor."
* 1841 - Pharmacists in PR received formal compounding education.
* 1898 - PR became a US, territory; as a territory of the U.S., the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) observes the practice of compounding to make sure that drug manufacturing is not exercised.
Sterile compounding began to gain importance in PR at the end ofthe 1990s because ofthe proliferation of infusion and specialty pharmacies. This boom attracted the attention of regulatory agencies, requiring that pharmacists who. wanted to· engage in this practice must have training and established policies to comply with safety standards. The pharmacist's professional development and importance in Puerto Rican's society have contributed to making compounding an essential function of pharmacy and to its continued acceptance.
OVERVIEW
Currently, there are two Pharmacy Schools in PR: the School of Pharmacy ofthe University...