Naperville's mix master
By David Sharos Daily Herald Correspondent
Posted February 10, 2004

Franchise pharmacies seem to be the rage these days, offering folks a chance to fill prescriptions while purchasing anything from portable barbecue grills to souvenir T-shirts.

Martin Avenue Pharmacy in Naperville is different, even "old school" some would say.

It's dedicated to providing products that center on medicine, health and diet. Owner Tom Marks seems more than content to leave the selling of children's toys or grocery items to someone else.

"I think surviving in this business today is all about finding your niche and we've done that here," Marks said. "Our emphasis is on diet, heath products, and providing medicines for people. We make 'stocking braces' for those who've had surgery or broken collar bones. We have all the medical gear for people in walkers or on crutches or have special bathroom needs.

"We also make special compounds of products prescribed by physicians that may no longer be available on the market."

The niche market Marks has embraced centers on making "compounded" products - putting together certain combinations of chemicals approved by the Food and Drug Administration that are eventually combined into prescriptions written for patients' special needs by physicians.

"We make things like diabetic cough syrup that patients couldn't buy anywhere else and no pharmaceutical company makes anymore," Marks said. "There are people allergic to certain colors or dyes and we have to reformulate the medication."

Marks even supplies drugs for animal patients prescribed by veterinarians, a segment that represents 10 percent of his business.

Last year, Marks' work in compounding led to national recognition when he was named Pharmacist of the Year by the Professional Compounding Center of America. The annual award is named after Dr. M. George Webber, a chemist and consultant for the group who authored a book years ago that Marks still uses.

"Dr. Webber wrote this textbook years ago about chemical calculations used for making compounds that still is used today," he said. "It's been updated over the years, of course, but it's still in use."

Years ago, Marks worked in a pharmacy as a high school student and liked it so much he decided to make it his life's work.

Martin Avenue Pharmacy bucked tradition and opened on a Friday the 13th in 1973. Thirty years later, it's clear bad luck hasn't followed.

"One of the greatest compliments we get in here is when people come in and say, 'You have the most unique store here. It reminds me of the places I'd go to when I was a kid.' I bet I hear that nearly every week," Marks said.

The store has been in its present location for about a quarter-century, but it's expanded from 400 square feet to more than 2,000 square feet, following a total of five renovations. The last makeover was in 1997, which tripled the size of the compounding laboratory.

With all the compounding work Marks has produced, he admits to the possibility of being viewed as a witch doctor or a medicine man, a role that somewhat describes pharmacists many years ago.

"People who make compounds have to be creative," he said. "Years ago when people would come in, they would ask for me and say, 'Is the doctor in?' That's sort of how pharmacy started. People would use things the pharmacist recommended."

Technology has brought changes into the pharmaceutical world, Marks notes, particularly in the way it provides consumers with more information.

"We have a Web site that basically serves an informational purpose," he said. "People can look up things about vitamin use, hormone replacement and a lot more. But with some things, like the compounding, we're still doing things the way we always have."
 
© 2004 Daily Herald, Paddock Publications, Inc.