I am currently reading an article on the use of gravimetrics in the preparation of hazardous CSPs published in the Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics.* The article addresses data collected from a large-scale, retrospective analysis of medication errors identified during the preparation of antineoplastic drugs, aka chemotherapy. The paper looks at 759 060 doses… Read More »
Summary: if you’re preparing compounded sterile preparations (CSPs) in a pharmacy IV room, you should be using gravimetric analysis to determine the appropriate dose/volume. Pharmacy practice is easy. Our job is to provide the right drug, at the right dose, to the right patient in the safest, most efficient, cost-effective manner possible. Simple. Currently, the… Read More »
Each Friday the CompoundingToday Newsletter faithfully appears in my inbox. The newsletter features commentary by Lloyd V. Allen, Jr., Ph.D., RPh, Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Pharmaceutical Compounding. Dr. Allen is a legend in the pharmacy compounding world for both sterile and non-sterile products. He was someone that I looked up to during my… Read More »
Yesterday, I had a great opportunity to spend the day using DoseEdge in its native environment. That is to say, I staffed at a facility that was using DoseEdge in its cleanroom to prepare CSPs, including patient-specific products as well as stock bags, TPNs, etc. I’ve used DoseEdge for brief periods in the past. I’ve… Read More »
The differences between stability, beyond-use date (BUD), and expiration for compounded sterile preparations (CSPs) causes a lot of confusion. I’m not even certain that I fully understand their roles in day to day pharmacy operations. With that said, I think the key is for everyone to at least understand and agree that the BUD of… Read More »
I received an email yesterday from the International Journal of Pharmaceutical Compounding. The email contains a link to the IJPC’s Compounders’ Resource Directory. There’s a lot of good information on the list. It’s worth a look. Both the IJPC and CompoundingToday.com are great resources for anyone doing extemporaneous (non-sterile) or sterile compounding. Enjoy!
Pharmacy Practice News: “The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) held a meeting today in Cincinnati to discuss a universal closed-system drug-transfer device (CSTD) testing protocol, which is being developed… The new protocol will test both physical barrier systems, which block the intake of environmental contaminants or the unintended release of hazardous drugs… Read More »
Show Notes: Host: Jerry Fahnri, Pharm.D. This is actually Episode 13. My apologies, but the volume is very low for some reason. A brief discussion of Jerry’s presentation at Health Connect Partners (HCP) in Chicago on October 18, 2016, followed by a brief overview of some of the products he saw while at the… Read More »
I quite literally stumbled across this the other day while doing research for another project. I heard that ISMP had updated their best practices document, but didn’t see an official announcement. It’s possible I just missed it. The document contains some great new safety recommendations. All in all there are eleven best practices listed. Most… Read More »
USP <800> has an entire section dedicated to deactivation, decontamination, cleaning, and disinfecting areas that are used for compounding sterile hazardous drugs (HDs). The chapter calls for: Establishing written procedures Training personnel Using appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) resistant to cleaning agents. This includes the use of two pairs of chemo gloves and impermeable disposable gowns… Read More »