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Ascend Rx, a physician-focused specialty compounding pharmacy, formally launched in the Philippines at the PRIMA ASEAN Congress on Longevity, Regenerative Medicine, and Human Optimization, where it served as the Philippine Regenerative and Integrative Medical Association’s (PRIMA) official specialty compounding partner.
The launch marks Ascend Rx’s formal introduction to the Philippine medical community as it seeks to support physicians and healthcare institutions with personalized pharmaceutical solutions for patients whose prescribed needs may require a different strength, dosage form, formulation, or other considerations not met by commercially available medicines.
“Compounding is not simply about providing medication. It is a specialized pharmaceutical discipline that requires licensed pharmacists, appropriate facilities, established procedures, and close collaboration with physicians,” Ascend Rx Head of Regulatory and Compliance Xenia Ruth Limatoc, RPh, said.
“Specialty compounding can provide physicians with an additional option when a commercially available medicine does not appropriately meet a patient’s prescribed needs, such as when a different strength, dosage form, or formulation is required,” she added.
A Quality- and Compliance-Led Approach to Compounding
Ascend Rx operates under relevant Philippine FDA licenses covering sterile compounding, non-sterile complex compounding, and the dispensing of vaccines and biologicals. It is also licensed by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) to dispense customized formulations containing regulated drugs, subject to applicable regulatory controls.
Its laboratory is designed to support compliance with USP <795> and USP <797> requirements, with specific controls and provisions aligned with USP <800> for the handling of hazardous drugs. These internationally recognized standards, together with professional oversight and applicable regulatory requirements, form part of Ascend Rx’s quality- and compliance-led approach to specialty compounding.
At the center of this approach is a pharmacist-to-physician model in which physicians determine a patient’s clinical needs and provide the appropriate prescription, while pharmacists assess the feasibility of preparing the prescribed formulation and provide pharmaceutical expertise around considerations such as strength and dosage form.
Bringing Responsible Compounding to the Medical Community
Held from September 24 to 26 at the Grand Hyatt Manila, the PRIMA ASEAN Congress on Longevity, Regenerative Medicine, and Human Optimization marked its 11th year of bringing together physicians, healthcare professionals, researchers, educators, and advocates to discuss developments in longevity, regenerative and integrative medicine.
As PRIMA’s official specialty compounding partner, Ascend Rx used the congress as a platform to engage healthcare professionals on responsible compounding, personalized pharmaceutical care, and the role of physician-pharmacist collaboration in supporting patients with individualized medication needs.
“PRIMA brings together physicians who are looking at how medical practice continues to evolve and how they can better respond to changing patient needs. This aligns with the direction Ascend Rx wants to take, supporting physicians with professionally guided pharmaceutical options when a patient’s prescribed needs call for a more individualized formulation,” said Sofia Alberto-Lista, Business Development Consultant, AIX Ventures Corp.
Ascend Rx also brought two international speakers to the congress to contribute to discussions around personalized healthcare and specialty compounding. Dr. Rebecca Poet, a women’s health specialist based in London, discussed ‘Personalized Hormone Optimization for Women’s Long-term Health’, while Hudson Polonini, PharmD, MSc, Global R&D Director of Fagron, discussed ‘The Science and Quality Behind Personalized Compounding’.
At the Ascend Rx booth, licensed pharmacists and physicians also engaged attending doctors on how specialty compounding works, the equipment and processes used at Ascend Rx’s facility, and how physicians can collaborate with pharmacists when a patient’s prescription calls for an individualized formulation.
Supporting the Advancement of Compounding in the Philippines
Beyond its PRIMA partnership, Ascend Rx aims to support the continued development of pharmaceutical compounding in the Philippines through collaboration with healthcare professionals, academic institutions, industry stakeholders, and policymakers.
The company seeks to collaborate with relevant stakeholders and policymakers to develop national compounding guidelines grounded in the realities and requirements of local practice. It also supports professional and academic communities through partnerships, collegiate internship programs, and educational initiatives.
As personalized pharmaceutical care evolves, Ascend Rx also sees opportunities to develop deeper local expertise in specialty compounding and create new avenues for Filipino pharmacists and other pharmaceutical professionals to build specialized skills.
Through its pharmacist-to-physician model, Ascend Rx aims to strengthen collaboration between the two professions while keeping personalized pharmaceutical care grounded in valid prescriptions, professional oversight, quality, and regulatory compliance.
Discover more about specialty compounding and personalized care vetted by licensed physicians and pharmacists, and visit ascendrx.com.ph. Follow Ascend Rx for the latest updates and facts on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook.
