503A Pharmacy
A traditional compounding pharmacy that prepares medications for an identified individual patient based on a prescription, licensed by state pharmacy boards.
A 503A pharmacy is a traditional compounding pharmacy operating under section 503A of the U.S. Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. 503A pharmacies are licensed by state pharmacy boards and inspected primarily by state inspectors, with FDA oversight of compounding standards in the background.
503A pharmacies prepare compounded medications for an identified individual patient based on a valid prescription. They cannot maintain large pre-prepared inventory for office stock the way 503B outsourcing facilities can. For clinic procurement, 503A workflows typically require pairing each line item to a specific patient before the pharmacy compounds the preparation.
Wholesale platforms that work with 503A sources usually route patient-specific orders through the pharmacy after the clinician issues the prescription. Documentation comes from the source pharmacy and is governed by the relevant state's pharmacy regulations.