An active ingredient, such as particles of a pharmaceutical agent, is
uniformly distributed within a transdermal vehicle, such as a gel or
other viscous material. The method comprises filling said first container
with a non-uniform mixture of a transdermal vehicle and said active
ingredient, mounting the first container on a support member, and
securing a second container to the first container. The first container
has a restricted opening at its proximal end and a piston mounted movably
within the first container for movement between a first position
proximate said first container distal end to a position proximate said
first container proximal end. The second container has a restricted
opening at its proximal end and a piston mounted movably within the first
container for movement from a first position proximate the second
container distal end to a position proximate said second container
proximal end. The first container restricted opening and said second
container restricted openings are in open communication. The first
container's piston is moved from its position proximate the distal end to
a position proximate the proximal end and thereby forcing said mixture
from the first container into said second container. The positions of the
first and second container relative to said support member, are reversed
and the process is repeated moving the mixture back and forth between the
two containers until a uniform mixture is achieved.