Elevating care through compounding

Ten years ago, a big idea started small. Pharmacist-Owner Mahmoud El-Achkar worked with two bright pharmacy students, Issam Merrouni and Mohamed Jetha, at his pharmacy in Laval, QC and together dreamed of doing something different: building a business focused on compounding medications.

Compounding involves combining ingredients together to create a specific formulation – anything from capsules and creams to oral liquids and suppositories. It can be custom for a patient or a standard product that’s on backorder. Compounding is a complex process that requires training and specialized equipment. There are only a handful of pharmacists in Quebec in this field. Throughout the country, the need for compounding services continues to rise.

The trio put together a plan for a new compounding lab as part of upcoming renovations to the pharmacy, which would now be jointly owned by Mahmoud, Issam and Mohamed. "We convinced them to give it a shot," says Mahmoud. That was the start.

Year after year, the business grew. In 2021, they opened a special lab for sterile compounding, which meant they could produce even more types of medications. Sterile compounding involves the preparation of medications that must be completely free of bacteria, viruses, fungi and other microorganisms. Injectables and eye drops are two examples.

Demand continued to grow, and the team knew they needed more space. This led to a brand-new 7,000 square-foot facility located in the same plaza as Mahmoud’s pharmacy. It opened in October 2025 with five full-time pharmacists and 35 pharmacy technicians. It is the third, and largest, compounding site within the organization.

The new facility resembles a modern office, with a welcoming front desk, a staff room, large preparation areas, and spaces for verification and shipping.

Before the expansion, the team served close to 800 pharmacies across Quebec (about 20% Pharmaprix pharmacies and 80% other retailers and hospitals) and made around 350 preparations per day.

But with the new facility, the team is hoping to reach even more partners across Quebec, as well as increase their daily volume. “Automation, cutting-edge technology and equipment, and more streamlined and standardized procedures will help us scale efficiently while maintaining high quality and safety standards,” he says.

Looking ahead, Mahmoud has big dreams. "We’d love to expand," he says. "It’s an incredible opportunity for patient care and for our business. We could really be leaders in this space.