History of Mark Drugs
We’ve Come a Long Way
Mark Drugs came to Roselle in 1990. At that time we purchased from Rick Cordts, the 400 square foot Roselle Medical Pharmacy at 225 E. Irving Park Rd., in the Roselle Medical Building (one block west of and opposite our current location). Originally opened in 1959, the store had thrived under the ownership of the loving, caring pharmacist, Daryl Lint and his wife Adeline. His quirky sense of humor gathered a devout following. Many of those patients, clients, customers and friends or their children and grandchildren who are still living in the area frequent the store today. Daryl sold the store to Rick Cordts in 1984 and retired. Daryl’s vision was of a friendly, fun place to work. We wanted to enjoy his job and provide a “good” living for his family while taking care of his friends and neighbors. We at Mark Drugs have those same goals.
Prescription Compounding
In 1992 we discovered through a variety of attempts what our proper niche was. As independent after independent pharmacy in the chicagoland area went out of business, we had managed to survive. We did a self-examination to find out how we were different from our neighbors. That difference was prescription compounding. With that recognition, we soon expanded to 830 square feet and within a year had outgrown that space as well. We had to search for a new home. Our new home would consist of 3400 sq ft in the main drugstore with an upstairs storage area of 2600 sq ft. Within the store area, we created four state-of-the-art compounding laboratories, a museum of pharmacy and medicine and a dynamic nutrition and supplement department.
Mark Drugs Grows and Expands
Several months later we created a 1200 sq ft Home Health division across the driveway under a separate roof but as that business grew we soon experienced difficulties with the physical separation. We needed another bigger home that was all under one roof! By January of 1994 we were ready to expand and the space next to our facility became available. In a record time of only 3 months we had prepared an additional 5500 sq ft of retail area that housed our Home Health division and included an expanded museum, the Rose Garden Mastectomy Boutique, a 50 person classroom and lecture forum, a DME repair facility, exam and fitting rooms and professional offices for specialty physicians, staff members and a massage therapist. April of 1994 was our grand re-opening and we were ready to open one of the first pharmacies in the nation that had an integrated approach to healthcare where the pharmacy was the hub that joined all the other professionals together. That month we had visitors from around the USA, Costa Rica, Canada and Europe.
Bio-identical Hormones
Compounding was and continues to be the primary focus of our pharmacy and greatest demand in compounding was anti-aging and hormones. Therefore, we focused our efforts initially on what was called Natural Hormone Replacement Therapy (NHRT). Later the word “Natural” was replaced and the term was changed to Bio-identical Hormone Replacement Therapy or BHRT. This soon expanded into treatments for Luteal Phase Defect for pregnant moms, the recognition of and alternative treatments for PMS and other female health related issues including libido and energy. As we became better known for treatments of specifically female issues, women would ask us what we could do for their husbands and boyfriends. This led to an additional focus on male hormone related problems.
Our Expertise and Knowledge
Specialty products and preparations that required additional expertise, knowledge and equipment seemed to be the next logical move in our growth and development. Our sterile clean rooms met the stringent requirements of USP <797> compliance and have become a cornerstone of our compounding practice. Many of our patients have had their sight saved or their lives dramatically changed due to the unique sterile preparations that we make. From fortified ophthalmic antibiotics and ophthalmic injections that reverse or slow down age related macular degeneration to sterile preservative-free intrathecal injections for chronic non-malignant pain management, we have been able to make a variety of life changing compounds.
Mark Drugs Opens Deerfield Location
In May 2008, we opened our Northshore location in Deerfield, IL. It houses state-of-the-art compounding labs, physician exam rooms, conference/lecture facilities and an exceptional nutrition center. It is much more compact than our Roselle location but has established a strong position in the northern suburbs of Chicago as a compounding leader and innovator.
PCAB Accreditation
An aspect of our pharmacy that we are extremely proud of is the recognition and respect of our colleagues. One measure of how good a job we are doing is accreditation. We are the First PCAB Accredited Compounding Pharmacy in the state of Illinois. Accreditation means that we are held to a higher standard and that we have voluntarily opened ourselves to inspection and assessment of our activities, policies and procedures. This is an arduous process to go through and sustain and it typifies our commitment to excellence. More details about the significance of pharmacy compounding accreditation may be found at www.pcab.info.
Veterinary Compounding
Not everything that we compound is directly for humans. We make lots of products that enhance the human condition by enhancing the health and welfare of pets. We prepare veterinary medications for hundreds of pets each month as well as their owners. Our goal is to work directly with patients and clients and team with veterinarians, physicians, other health care providers and caregivers to improve the quality of care and the quality of life for all who we come in contact with.
Meeting the Needs of our Patients
Over the years, we have been continually challenged with issues such as pain management, nebulizer combinations, nausea related to radiation, chemotherapy and motion sickness; hospice related comfort management, adjunctive wound care, veterinary dosing problems and a variety of other areas. We always meet the challenge with a positive “We can do” attitude.
For over 20 years we have focused on improving the health and welfare of our patients. The ultimate goal has always been to create an overall state of wellness. Our motto truly speaks to this goal “Better Health and Care, Not Just Healthcare!”, and we will continue to try to live up to this ideal.
