By Joe Bagan and Paul Granberry

Recent commentary has suggested pharmaceutical compounding is a “break in case of emergency” fix. That view couldn’t be further from the truth.

Compounding isn’t a workaround or a last resort. It’s a legal, vital part of modern medicine that keeps patients treated when commercial drugs can’t meet individual needs. Licensed pharmacists and FDA-inspected outsourcing facilities prepare customized medications every day — adjusting doses, combining therapies and producing discontinued drugs that are no longer made by large manufacturers.

These facilities aren’t loopholes in a system; they are the system for countless Coloradans whose care depends on precision and safety.

Both state and federal law tightly regulate compounding, and oversight from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The Colorado Board of Pharmacy ensures sterility, traceability and accountability.

The sudden handwringing over compounding isn’t about keeping patients safe — it’s about keeping competitors out. When big pharma blurs the line between legitimate compounding and bad actors, patients pay the price.

Lawmakers shouldn’t fall for that narrative. Colorado doesn’t need more bureaucracy, it needs clarity. Strengthen enforcement against unregistered importers and counterfeit sellers but protect the licensed professionals who already meet the highest national standards.

If lawmakers treat compounding as a crisis-only activity, they endanger real people: children needing custom dosages, hospice patients who can’t tolerate standard formulations, hospitals relying on ready-to-use medications for surgery and emergency care.

Compounding is not what happens when the system breaks, it’s what keeps the system working for everyone else.

Joe Bagan is chief executive of STAQ Pharma. Paul Granberry is president and chief executive of Leiters Health.