Safe Handling of Cytotoxic Drugs in Hospital Pharmacies

Vagn Handlos

Capital Region Pharmacy
Marielundvej 25, 2730 Herlev, Denmark
Tel: +45. 2128 2455   Fax:

Biography

Appointments:

69-70 Private in the Danish army.

70-76 PhD. student at the Royal Danish School of pharmacy  (RDSP)

73-76 Assoc. professor at RDSP

76-79 Senior research fellow at RDSP

79-87 Assoc. professor at RDSP and research chemist at the Risoe National Laboratory

87-96 Director of the Rigshospitalet Pharmacy

96 - 2005 Director of the H:S Pharmacy
1990 -      Assigned professor at Royal Danish School of Pharmacy
2005-       Senior Scientist at the H:S Pharmacy and Capital Region Pharmacy

Others:

81-92 Chairman of the national Danish autoclave standardization committee

83-96 Member of the Ph. Eur. Expert group on plastic materials and containers

85-88 Member of the Danish Technical Research Council, Chemistry commission.

89-92 Delegate to the EU Advisory Committee on Pharmaceutical Training, Bruxelles

89-95 Chairman of the Danish Pharmaceutical Society

89-96 Member of the Danish Pharmacopoeia Commission

2005 - Director of Education, Science and Research. European Association of Hospital Pharmacists Bruxelles.
2008- Chairman of the Ph. Eur. Expert group on plastic materials and containers)

Abstract

Potent drugs and new therapies has let to an increase in survival of cancer patient over the last 10 years. An important factor in this process has been the increased number and potency of drugs available for the treatment of cancer, in a way that more patients recover after these disease.
Many of the drugs used are carcinogenic and exposure to the hospital staff should be prevented.

Facilities with controlled air quality, negative pressure and safety cabinets together with personal protection equipment are used to prevent occupational exposure of the staff. Even with these precausion reports on exposure of staff  are published.

The presentation will present a study of the contamination level of 12 Danish hospital pharmacies where cytotoxics are prepared for use. The measurements were initiated in 2005/6 and the results were given to the staff responsible for the workers safety and a working party with representatives of the hospital pharmacies. A set of rules for safe handling was elaborated and published to impede implementation of safe working procedures. A second round of measurements, 3 years later, showed a decrease in contamination levels in most production facillities.

Cytotoxics are know to interact with polymeric materials in form of sorption and diffusion processes. This is shown in practise, where cytotoxis are dissolved in e.g. PVC and PMMA floors. This is predicted from the Hans Solubility Parameter where the 3- dimensional parameters has been calculated for a selection of drugs.