Esco at the ASHP in Baltimore!

Esco participated in the recently concluded prestigious conference, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Summer Meetings and Exhibitions 2016, held on June 11-15 at the Baltimore Convention Center, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.

ASHP is a national professional organization whose more than 43,000 members include pharmacists, student pharmacists, and pharmacy technicians who serve as patient care providers on healthcare teams in acute and ambulatory settings. (ASHP, 2016)

Lectures were presented under the 4 main categories:

1. Medication Safety Collaborative
2. Informatics Institute
3. Pharmacy, Practice and Policy
4. Ambulatory Care Conference

Handling Hazardous Drugs in Healthcare Settings

A special topic on hazardous drugs was discussed. Patricia Kienle, the author of USP<800> Hazardous Drugs – Handling in Healthcare Settings, talked about the components of minimizing exposure to hazardous drugs during handling – 1. Facilities and 2. Other elements.

Facilities include the following:

1. Primary Engineering Controls (PEC)

Primary engineering controls such as Containment Ventilated Enclosures (CVE), Containment Aseptic Containment Isolators (CACI), and Biological Safety Cabinets (BSC) are highlighted as the main sources of operator protection during hazardous drug handling.

2. Secondary Engineering Controls (SEC)

The room where the primary engineering control is placed should follow the minimum requirements such as fixed walls that separates the room from non-hazardous drug compounding area, negatively pressurized, and should have appropriate number of air changes per hour (ACPH).

3. Supplemental Engineering Controls e.g. closed-system transfer devices (CSTDs)

Other elements include the following:

1. Personnel training and monitoring
2. Medical surveillance
3. Environmental monitoring
4. Personal protective equipment
5. Decontamination and cleaning
6. Spill management

Esco’s solution to USP <797>/<800> Pharmacy Compounding Challenges

In relation to PECs, Esco has showcased its line of pharmacy compounding solutions during the exhibition.

Esco’s pharmacy compounding isolators are compliant to international standards such as USP <797>/<800>, FDA cGMP, PIC/S, NIOSH, OSHA, and CETA. These isolators are designed to fit your applications.

Positive Pressure Models

Suitable for compounding non-hazardous drugs such as: Total Parenteral Nutrition Ophthalmic preparations Central IV Admixtures

Negative Pressure Models

Suitable for compounding hazardous drugs such as: Antineoplastic agents Hormones Antibody drug conjugates

In Esco, we consider the type of facility you are working at. If you have plans in upgrading your facilities, here are our recommendations for isolators:

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