While the world moves towards artificial intelligence, one Goonellabah pharmacy has moved into the high-tech world with an automated dispensary system to save time and serve customers quickly.

The robotic dispensary is programmed in an 'organised chaos' manner, meaning when the script is scanned into the computer system at the front desk, the robot has many options for the same medicine in different locations. This is because there are three computers and the robot is looking for the shortest, most time-effective route to place the required medication into the slot for that script.

Co-owner Steve Defrenne told the Lismore App that it is the most efficient way to dispense medicine to its customers so that they can be on their way quickly. There are no job losses, as it enables staff to focus on other areas of the pharmacy.

That is not the only change for Steve and co-owner Jy Moloney; there has been a name change and the creation of a compounding lab, so they can make personalised medicine when it is prescribed by a doctor.

Steve opened the Discount Drug Store on Rous Road, Goonellabah, in November 2019 with a six-year contract that helped him and Jy to understand what is needed to run a pharmaceutical business.

(Steve and Jy serving customers at the Lismore Pharmacy on Rous Road, Goonellabah)

"But as the years go on, we were tailoring what we want to do more to what the community needs, as opposed to a big corporate, national framework," Steve explained.

As you pass the Rous Road shops, you will see the new Lismore Pharmacy signage. The colour scheme has changed from orange to dark green, and the in-store offerings have changed.

"The biggest thing is, we've started our compounding lab, which is in-house bespoke medications that aren't available commercially. We used to have to refer them to another pharmacy that could do it."

That meant a trip to Southside Pharmacy in South Lismore or Ballina as the closest options.

Steve explained that most medications are made available by large pharmaceutical companies en masse; however, there are times when a tailored combination of drugs is needed for a patient, or the combination of medications is not stable in the long term.

"So, they have to be made fresh every time. Things like melatonin in a liquid form for children, which isn't a commercially available product or certain skin cancer creams that help remove skin cancers aren't commercially available. This is mainly capsules, liquids and creams, those sort of things."

Moving into compounding meant special training in Sydney and the need for more space for Steve and Jy.

"The last couple of years, the New South Wales Pharmacy Council had an update of what they need to be a compounding lab. So, we needed a minimum of a 9 square metre lab to have ample room to have all the equipment."

(Compounder Nik with Steve inside the new compounding lab)

Like dining patrons can often see the chef at work, people walking from the doctor into Lismore Pharmacy can see the medical compounding at work when it is operating. At the moment, Steve and Jy are getting a feel for what the needs of patients are before they order active ingredients.

"When you're buying the active ingredients, they can come in different volumes. Obviously, the smaller amount of volume, the more expensive it is per gram, but then you buy a bigger quantity, and it's cheaper per gram, which then you pass on to the patient, but it might expire. We're in that building up process, we don't want to over promise and under deliver. We just want to make sure we're quite transparent about how it all works."

Generally, a patient would leave the doctor's with a script, and they would go to their pharmacy to fill the script. If it is a script that needs compounding, which cannot be purchased off the shelf, the pharmacy will direct them to a compounding pharmacy, or sometimes the doctor may tell the patient to go to a particular compounding pharmacist, of which there are only two in Lismore and Goonellabah.

Every pharmacy can do basic compounding, such as making a salicylic acid aqueous cream for dry skin. It is when the compounding gets more complex that Lismore Pharmacy comes into play, like hormone creams.

"The new lab is a significant, separate investment in state-of-the-art facilities and technology. It reflects our unwavering commitment to the highest standards of quality control and patient safety in compounding."

"We have been here six years, independent pharmacies are few and far between. We are just trying to best serve our community."

You will find Lismore Pharmacy at the Rous Road shops in Goonellabah.