Written by Michael Khalil, B.Sc.Phm (Founder & Chief Pharmacist, OCP #203452) and Raymond Kwan, B.Sc.Phm (Owner & PCCA-certified compounding pharmacist). Reviewed by Michael Khalil, B.Sc.Phm. Last updated June 2026.
Not medical advice; consult a physician. The guidance below is general. Your own pharmacist or prescriber should direct decisions about your medication.
Between the two of us we have spent more than fifty years behind a compounding counter in Aurora, and a version of the same call comes in most weeks: a patient has a prescription for a compounded medication sitting at their regular pharmacy, that pharmacy either cannot make it or does not compound at all, and they want to know whether the prescription can simply be moved to us. Most of the time the answer is yes. Whether it is straightforward depends on three things: what is left on the prescription, how the original order was written, and whether we have enough detail to prepare it safely.
This guide walks through when a transfer works, when it does not, and what to have ready so the request does not stall. We have written it the way we would explain it to you on the phone.
Can a regular pharmacy transfer a compounded prescription?
Yes. A community pharmacy can transfer a prescription to a compounding pharmacy when the prescription is still active and has refills or remaining quantity left. In Ontario this is a patient right, not a favour: provincial regulation requires a prescription to be transferred from one community pharmacy to another at the patient's request (Ontario Regulation 264/16, under the Drug and Pharmacies Regulation Act). The Ontario College of Pharmacists sets this out in its Prescription Transfers fact sheet.
Two things have to line up. There has to be something left to transfer, and the receiving pharmacy has to be able to prepare the formula as written. A transfer moves the remaining prescription record to the receiving pharmacy, and after that the original pharmacy stops filling it, because the remaining quantity now lives with us. If the prescription is fully used or has no refills, the original pharmacy can give you a copy of the record for history, but another pharmacy generally cannot dispense from a copy alone. In that case your prescriber sends a new prescription instead.
What is a compounded prescription?
A compounded prescription is a medication prepared for one specific patient, from raw ingredients, according to a prescriber's directions. Instead of dispensing a manufactured product in a fixed strength and form, the pharmacist makes the medication to the order: a custom dose, a different dosage form, or a base that leaves out a particular dye, preservative, or allergen.
In practice that means forms like a capsule, cream, gel, oral liquid, suspension, ointment, suppository, or troche. The reason for compounding is almost always practical. A child needs a dose far smaller than any commercial tablet. An adult cannot swallow tablets and needs a liquid. Someone reacts to a filler in the manufactured version. A pet refuses medication unless it is flavoured. The order still has to come from a prescriber. We compound to a prescription, not to a patient's preference on its own.
What actually slows a transfer down
In our experience, transfers rarely fail because of the transfer itself. They stall on missing compounding detail. This is the part general pharmacy guides leave out, because a pharmacy that does not compound never runs into it.
When a transfer arrives, we read it as a recipe. A standard prescription that says "take one tablet daily" is complete on its own. A compounded order has to specify things a manufactured product never needs to: the exact strength, the base or vehicle, the dosage form, sometimes a flavour, and the full ingredient list. When any of that is absent, we cannot safely guess at it, so we have to call or fax the prescriber to confirm before we prepare anything. That callback is the single most common reason a patient waits longer than they expected.
A few situations we see regularly:
- A parent transfers a prescription for a child's medication that was previously a commercial tablet, now needed as a liquid. The transferred record describes the tablet, not the suspension, so we contact the prescriber to confirm the compounded form and concentration.
- A patient moves an order from a chain pharmacy and the record comes through without the base specified for a topical cream. We cannot assume the base. One short call to the clinic resolves it.
- A transfer is technically complete but written for a strength we would round or adjust for a custom preparation. We confirm with the prescriber rather than interpret.
None of these are problems with you or with the original pharmacy. They are the normal back-and-forth of preparing a medication to order, and knowing about them in advance is what lets you head them off.
When a prescription cannot be transferred as written
Some prescriptions need an extra step before anything can be dispensed. That does not mean you are stuck.
No refills or quantity left
If nothing remains on the prescription, it generally cannot be transferred for dispensing. We can receive a copy for history, but your prescriber needs to issue a new prescription. This is the most common reason a transfer does not go through.
Written for a commercial product when you now need a compound
If the original prescription was for a manufactured tablet or capsule and you now need a compounded version, that change usually needs prescriber approval. We cannot turn a tablet order into a cream, a liquid, or a custom strength on our own. A fresh prescription written for the compound is often faster than reworking the old one.
Details are incomplete
Compounded orders need clear directions. If the strength, quantity, route, dosage form, base, flavour, or ingredient list is unclear, we confirm it before preparing. A small missing detail can add a day.
Controlled substances
Some medications carry extra transfer rules, controlled substances in particular, and these rules change over time. As of this writing, Ontario pharmacists are permitted to transfer a prescription for a narcotic, controlled drug, or targeted substance to another pharmacist under a Health Canada exemption issued under subsection 56(1) of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (Ontario College of Pharmacists, Prescription Transfers fact sheet). Because that exemption can be revoked or replaced, we always check the current requirement at the time of your request rather than rely on what was true last year. If your medication falls into this category, ask us and we will tell you exactly what is allowed today and what the next step is.
How the transfer process works, step by step
The process is simple from your side. Here is what happens on ours.
1. You contact us
Call and tell us your prescription is at another pharmacy and that you want to know whether it can be transferred. If you have the medication name, strength, dosage form, or prescription number, keep it handy. In most cases we contact the other pharmacy and pull the transfer over for you, which is less work than calling both pharmacies yourself.
2. You give us the current pharmacy's details
We need the name, phone number, and branch location of the pharmacy holding the prescription. The exact branch matters when it is a large chain with many locations, because sending the request to the wrong branch is a common source of delay.
3. We send the transfer request.
We contact the current pharmacy and request the transfer. If the prescription is eligible, they send the record: medication, strength, directions, remaining quantity, refill information, prescriber details, the original date, and dispensing history.
4. We review it as a compound
We check whether the medication can be prepared exactly as written, and we look at allergies, sensitivities, dose, form, and instructions. If anything is unclear, we contact the prescriber before we make it. This review is the step that protects you, and it is the step a non-compounding pharmacy does not perform.
5. We prepare the medication
Once the order is confirmed, we compound it to the prescriber's directions. Compounds take longer than pulling a manufactured box off a shelf, because each one is made after review, so timing varies by preparation.
6. We arrange pickup or delivery
When it is ready, we confirm how you want to receive it. For patients in Toronto and across the GTA, we deliver, and we will confirm the timing once we have reviewed the prescription.
What to have ready before you call
You do not need every detail to start, but a few things make the call faster.
About you: full name, date of birth, phone number, address, and any allergies or ingredient sensitivities.
About your current pharmacy: name, phone number, and branch location. The prescription label or receipt covers all of this if you have it.
About the prescription: the prescription number if you have it. If not, the medication name, strength, directions, and prescriber name are usually enough for us to begin.
About your prescriber: name, clinic phone, and fax number, in case we need a clarification or a new prescription.
Should you transfer the prescription or ask for a new one?
Transfer when the existing prescription is still active and already says exactly what we need to prepare. Ask for a new prescription when there are no refills left, when the dosage form has to change, or when the formula needs to be written more clearly for compounding.
A simple way to decide: if the prescription already spells out the compound completely, a transfer should work. If it needs any change, your prescriber should send a new one. You do not have to figure this out alone. Call us first with what you have, and we will tell you which route is likely faster before you go back to your doctor.
Can Toronto patients get a compounded medication delivered?
Yes. We deliver compounded medications to patients in Toronto and across the GTA from our pharmacy in Aurora, Ontario. Delivery happens after the prescription is reviewed and prepared, and the timing depends on the preparation, which we will confirm with you. Our physical location in Aurora is where every compound is made under Health Canada standards, and we are happy for you to know exactly where your medication comes from.
Delivery tends to help the patients we hear from most: people managing an ongoing prescription, parents arranging a child's medication, pet owners filling a veterinary compound, and anyone who cannot easily get to a pharmacy in person.
Common questions about transferring a compounded prescription
Can I transfer a prescription from Shoppers Drug Mart, Rexall, or another chain pharmacy?
In most cases, yes. If the prescription has refills or remaining quantity and transfer rules allow it, we can request the transfer from your current pharmacy. The one detail worth having ready is the exact branch, because chains have many locations and the request has to reach the right one.
Can my regular pharmacy refuse to transfer my prescription?
For an eligible prescription, the holding pharmacy is expected to provide the transfer information at your request, under Ontario Regulation 264/16. A transfer can still fail for a real reason: no refills left, a controlled-substance rule, or incomplete details. It should not fail simply because you asked.
Can I transfer a prescription with no refills left?
Usually not. If nothing remains on the prescription, your prescriber needs to send a new one.
Do I need to come in person?
Usually not. Most transfer requests start by phone or online. We may still need to verify your information before we prepare the medication.
Can my doctor send the prescription directly to you?
Yes, and this is often the cleanest route when a custom formula, strength, form, base, or flavour is involved. It skips the back-and-forth a transfer of an older order can create.
What if I am not sure whether my prescription is even compounded?
Call us and ask. We can look at the medication name and tell you whether a transfer or a new prescription is the likely path.
Need help with a compounded prescription transfer in Toronto or the GTA?
If your prescription is at a regular pharmacy and you need a compounded medication, contact Aurora Compounding, a trusted compounding pharmacy serving Toronto and the GTA. We will check the next step with you: whether a transfer will work, whether your prescriber should send a new prescription, and whether delivery is available to your address.
- Have your prescriber e-fax the prescription to us at (905) 727-0845.
- Or call 1-877-727-1343 to ask about transfers, refills, delivery, and compounded medication options, and to speak with a compounding pharmacist.
Sources
- Ontario College of Pharmacists, Prescription Transfers fact sheet: patient-request transfers (O. Reg. 264/16) and controlled-substance transfers under the Health Canada s.56(1) class exemption. https://ocpinfo.com/pharmacy-professionals/practice-topics/fact-sheets/prescription-transfers/
- Ontario College of Pharmacists, Prescription Regulation Summary Chart (current version): transfer and refill rules by drug class. https://ocpinfo.com
This article was written by the pharmacists named above and reflects general practice in Ontario as of June 2026. It is not medical advice; consult a physician.
