Innovation Compounding, Inc., Named 2021 Top 5 Small Business of 2021

The award recognizes small businesses for their importance in a community and its economy, as well as significant contributions to their industry or field. The company is a sterile and non-sterile compounding pharmacy located in Kennesaw, Georgia, that provides personalized medicine to patients with complex medical needs.

Providing Personalized Care

Founded in 2007, Innovation Compounding now employs 49 people and ships its compounded medications to medical offices and patients in 49 states across the U.S.

Unlike a traditional pharmacy that receives and distributes drug medications that large pharmaceutical companies have manufactured, Innovation Compounding’s pharmacists work with the individual drug ingredients to prepare fully customized medications that meet the individual needs of children, adults, and animals patients.

Working hand-in-hand with patients and their physicians, they tailor medications to the specific doses, weights, or ages (for example, an infant) when:

• required medications are unavailable from pharmaceutical companies;
• the patient is allergic to certain preservatives, dyes, or binders in available off-the-shelf medications;
• a pharmacist can combine several medications to increase compliance;
• a patient cannot ingest the medication in its commercially available form;
• medications require flavoring.

Addressing Big Problems in Healthcare

In 2019, an estimated 10.1 million people aged 12 or older misused opioids in the past year. Specifically, 9.7 million people misused prescription pain relievers. [1]

Traditionally, opioids were only used for seriously ill patients or along with surgery. But now, these drugs can be prescribed for a host of other reasons that are not as severe. Oral opioid therapy is one of the most commonly used treatments for pain management. However, when taken by mouth in pill form or as liquid, adverse effects or illicit use can become a problem. Compounded medications for pain provide non-invasive and convenient administration methods, like transdermal and topical applications (which are applied to the skin rather than taken by mouth) and can eliminate the side effects commonly experienced with oral drugs.

Innovation Compounding pharmacy specializes in acute and chronic pain management and formulates opioid-free therapies to help with a variety of conditions. And in a direct response to the ever-present opioid epidemic gripping the United States, Innovation offers clinical consultation to healthcare practitioners working to transition patients from opioids or other drug habit-forming prescriptions. “Because when it comes down to it, no one should be dying over addiction or withdrawal symptoms,” said pharmacist Mitchell Bell, PharmD.

Leading Through Adversity

When COVID-19 hit hard worldwide, the pharmacy’s president and CEO, Shawn Hodges, PharmD, was instrumental in initiating a national campaign that urged the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to issue temporary pandemic guidance permitting compounding pharmacists to make and distribute alcohol-based hand sanitizer and a temporary policy for compounding of certain drugs for hospitalized patients by outsourcing facilities during the COVID-19 public health emergency.

“Compounding pharmacists are always ready to help people in need, and our pharmacy facility is equipped with the necessary tools for critical situations as we face in this pandemic,” says Hodges.

When Georgia health systems could no longer access life-saving medications required for COVID-19 positive patients, including those on ventilators, Innovation named itself a ‘COVID Fighting Pharmacy’ and took on a 24-hour work schedule to increase the production of these medications.

The Georgia Department of Public Health and DEA contacted Innovation Compounding for help when hospitals and healthcare facilities in the state began to experience drug shortages and could not obtain the life-saving ventilator drugs that were required of ICU patients afflicted with coronavirus. Working with the state and local authorities, Innovation changed its business model to become a “COVID-fighting pharmacy,” providing over 50,000 sterile compounded preparations to major healthcare facilities and hospitals around Georgia.

The pharmacy also produced and supplied hand sanitizer to fire stations in Cobb County and made sales available to local residents for curbside pickup in the height of the pandemic.

Most notably, the pharmacy initiated its VaxGeorgia.com campaign, which provided over 4,000 Moderna Covid-19 vaccines to the counties most vulnerable populations before distribution was widely opened to the state. To date, the pharmacy is on tract to have distributed 8,000 vaccines.

Keeping Cobb County in Good Health

The independent Pharmacy Compounding Accreditation Board (PCAB) offers its official seal of approval to pharmacies that voluntarily pass strict inspections and other rigid requirements.

Having both sterile and nonsterile laboratories, Innovation is PCAB accredited in both types of compounding pharmacy and among the less than 3% of U.S. compounding pharmacies who formulate personalized medications for a diverse population of patients.

Daily, they produce and dispense evidence-based compounded therapies for:

• Men’s Health
• Women’s Health
• Hormone Restoration & Pellet Therapy
• Intravenous (IV) & Intramuscular (IM) Nutrition Therapy
• Allergy Immunotherapy
• Weight-Loss Management & Support
• Pain Management & Support (with an emphasis in opioid-free therapies)
• Skin Care & Anti-Aging Therapies (Dermatological & Cosmeceutical)
• Children’s Myopia (nearsightedness)
• Animal Health

They also have a complete line of over the counter (OTC) pharmaceutical-grade vitamins and supplements which are sold in the pharmacy and online at www.icHealth.store.

In 2020, at-home laboratory testing kits became available from the pharmacy. As an add-on, their pharmacists offer one-to-one consultations to provide patients an in-depth review of medical history, current medications, and the laboratory results achieved through the testing kit.

View Laboratory Test Kit Options here or in the online store here.

In a time when many are without a primary healthcare provider or want and affordable, convenient way to monitor health these services are helping members of the community to be well.

“We are honored to be a source of health care for everyone in our community, says Hodges, “our pharmacy is here and ready with any medications you need, whatever the time or day may bring.”

About Innovation Compounding, Inc.

Innovation Compounding is a PCAB accredited sterile and nonsterile compounding pharmacy that supports over 7,000 prescribers, 70,000+ patients and annually provides 100,000 prescriptions across the United States. They commit to individualized pharmaceutical care through being relentless in their drive for personalized medicine, compassionate toward their patients and doctors, and being a Wellness Advocate for their patients’ lives and state of wellbeing.