Effect of Drug Compounding on Quality of Life in Patients With Genodermatoses: A Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND

Cutaneous manifestations are complicated to treat in rare diseases. The main aim of this study was to analyze the impact of compounded drugs prepared by hospital pharmacists on the quality of life of patients with genodermatoses.

MATERIAL AND

METHODS

We undertook a cross-sectional study of patients with genodermatoses treated with topical medications compounded and dispensed by the pharmacy at Complejo Hospitalario Universitario in Pontevedra, Spain. We collected demographic data and answers to questionnaires examining generic and disease-specific quality of life, treatment satisfaction, and treatment adherence.

RESULTS

Nine patients were included. We observed a significant improvement in health-related quality of life following treatment with compounded drugs. Satisfaction with the topical medications was 2.8 on a scale of 0 (greatest satisfaction) to 25. Treatment adherence was 59%.

CONCLUSIONS

Drug compounding facilitates access to orphan drugs that are not available for many rare diseases. Few studies, however, have analyzed impact on quality of life in this setting. In this series of patients with genodermatoses, topical medications compounded and dispensed by a hospital pharmacy improved health-related quality of life. This preliminary study has given rise to a multicenter study of compounding for ichthyosis. We expect that analysis of a larger sample will confirm our findings.