A Washington Post article published April 10 hits many key issues surrounding current medication shortages.

The article does a nice job of describing how pharmacists and technicians dilute or ration doses from stronger concentrations or short supplies of medications. However, the article totally misses the practice that some hospitals and Pharmacy Compounding Accreditation Board–accredited pharmacies employ to address shortages: They compound lifesaving medications from bulk active ingredients that may be readily available for compounding by qualified pharmacists.

There are regulatory barriers that challenge us—as I write in my upcoming editorial in the International Journal of Pharmaceutical Compounding—but it’s clear that pharmacists are solution oriented, if given half a chance.