Company News

ON-SITE EVALUATION OF YOUR FACILITY

When it comes to cleanroom design, fabrication, installation, pricing, and customer service, we do clean rooms right. The importance of understanding your current situation is always a great starting point for any type of project. So our pharmacy project engineers are now conducting on-site visits for inspection and evaluation of your cleanroom areas in your facility.

Primary Engineering Control Devices for Premier, Inc. GPO

With two in house agreements with Premier, Inc. Aseptic Enclosures now allows Premier members, at their discretion, to take advantage of special pricing and terms pre-negotiated by Premier. The base of the supplying contracts covers a wide range of Primary Engineering Control Devices (I.V. Hoods, Isolators, Bio-Chemical Hoods, and Laminar Work Benches) in addition to Pharmacy Planning and Design services in order to meet USP Chapters <797> and <800> compliance.

What Are Universal Precautions?

Working in the healthcare industry exposes individuals to diseases and infections that can be transmitted from one person to another. Universal Precautions were guidelines developed regarding infection control that were designed to protect healthcare workers from diseases that are spread through blood and various body fluids. These were applied to the workplace when workers were exposed to blood and certain types of bodily fluids.

Customizing Industrial-Quality Workbenches for Your Needs

Workbenches are used in many industries including those engaged in manufacturing, assembly, packaging, and shipping. Industrial-quality workbenches are also found in laboratories, educational institutions, research centers, and healthcare facilities. Whether they are subjected to light, medium, or heavy use, these furnishings may become more functional when certain accessories are added. Some accessories are designed for specific environments and others are useful in all industries.

Developing a Robust Compounding Strategy

Developing an effective compounding strategy is critical to ensuring patients have access to properly compounded medications, but because each organization’s needs differ, a one-size-fits-all solution cannot be applied to every hospital. A careful evaluation of the institution’s requirements, the available infrastructure for compounding medications in-house, and any registered 503B compounding facilities in the vicinity with capacity to serve the hospital, is necessary to identify an effective strategy.

Revised 503B Guidance for Outsourcing Compounders

According to the Federal Register Notice that announced the guidance revision (here), the FDA notes that “This revised draft guidance reflects the FDA’s intent to recognize the differences between outsourcing facilities and conventional drug manufacturers and to tailor CGMP requirements to the nature of the specific compounding operations conducted by outsourcing facilities while maintaining the minimum standards necessary to protect patients from the risks of contaminated or otherwise substandard drug products.” The FR Notice also provides additional background on its thinking in making the revisions to the draft guidance.

Updated Regulation for Compounding Aseptic Isolators

The degree of danger that pharmacy workers are subject to depends on the kind of pharmacy they work in and its location. Pharmacists can be employed in community-, retail-, and hospital-based pharmacies, among others. Each of these workplace settings bring different hazards that need to be addressed to prevent harm.

1. Biological Hazards
Contact with patients and the public exposes pharmacy staff to biological hazards, as will contaminants found in food, water, and the ventilation system. The immunization of workers provides a first line of defense when interacting with patients.

Other measures should also be put into place, including the restriction of access to authorized personnel only, implementation of safe work procedures, and use of personal protective equipment, such as eye protection, gloves, and respiratory protection.

Care should not only be exercised on the medication contained within a pharmacy; the building itself should also be given attention, particularly the ventilation system. Regular maintenance reduces the risk of contamination.

Trends in USP <800> Compliance

Can an Isolator still be used without a Cleanroom

The answer is complicated.

Under the current USP 797 guidelines, a compounding aseptic isolator may be used as a substitute for a cleanroom if it is certified to meet ISO 5 under dynamic conditions. Usually, the certifier will conduct particle tests and airflow studies while a technician is compounding and transferring materials.