Sterile Compounding
A view from our side of Sterile Compounding.
When it comes to professional compounding, sterile compounding is the most vital and complex. The average person may hear the word sterile and think “clean,” but in the field of pharmaceuticals, sterile is defined by a list of strict standards or environmental conditions.
These standards are established by the United Stated Pharmacopeia (USP), Chapter 797. For Medical Center Pharmacy’s patients, the word sterile is our guarantee for safety and quality.
Medical Center Pharmacy often prepares a variety of customized sterile medications, including:
• Injectables
• Ophthalmics
• Irrigations
• Inhalation Therapy
Preparing a sterile medication requires specialized equipment, maintaining a sterile environment and training in aseptic technique.
A pharmacy that prepares sterile medication operates in an exclusive area, or a “clean room,” inside a laminar airflow hood, with conditions that provide for the avoidance of contamination and free of bacteria and endotoxins.
During this procedure, the product must be sterilized by using standardized methods of aseptic technique, such as micron filtering or autoclaving, to ensure quality control.
Considerations in preparing sterile solutions include tonicity, pH/buffers, sterility, preservatives and viscosity enhancers.
Medical Center Pharmacy follows strict standard operating procedures in the preparation of sterile medications that include:
• Independent testing of finished products
• Continuous training in aseptic technique
• Environmental monitoring
• Routine outside certification of the laminar airflow hood
• Proper cleaning and maintenance practices
Medical Center Pharmacy is affiliated with Professional Compounding Centers of America, which allows our pharmacy staff to have access to various customized formulas and the expertise of pharmacy consultants.
We encourage physicians and patients to consult with our pharmacists to discuss sterile customized treatment options.
Other Services:
Medical Center Pharmacy
912 South 16th St.
Wilmington, NC 28401
Phone
(910) 763-1896
(800) 930-8785