(33) 2008.1 Hazardous Drug Information Standardization

R2 PRT: Safety - Wording/action:
(33) 2008.1 Hazardous Drug Information Standardization
1. The APhA-ASP encourages the collaboration and consolidation of criteria that are used to qualify a drug as Hazardous and the establishment of a single working definition of what a Hazardous Drug is.
2. The APhA-ASP encourages the collaboration and consolidation of the current Hazardous Drug Lists to develop a single accurate and comprehensive list of Hazardous Drugs.
3. The APhA-ASP encourages safe and effective research to determine the risks associated with handling Hazardous Drugs and the establishment of standardized proper protocols for the handling of Hazardous Drugs.

Reasons for the Action(s) / Pros and Cons:

There is little conclusive information on “Hazardous Drugs.” Most agree that there are drugs that may be hazardous and that these Hazardous Drugs are potentially dangerous to the handler. There is no information on the amount of exposure that is necessary to constitute a threat. The EPA, IOSHA, and ASHP each have different criteria that qualify a drug as “Hazardous”, separate non-comprehensive lists of “Hazardous Drugs”, and separate protocols on handling “Hazardous Drugs”. It should not be left up to each location to make their best guess as to what drugs should be treated as Hazardous.

It is important to develop Hazardous Drug standards and an agreement on what Hazardous Drugs are because the current lists create an extremely large number of drugs, with no information as to what constitutes a dangerous exposure amount. Drugs are often put onto a Hazardous Drug lists, or taken off of a list without an explanation of why. It is in our interest to get all Hazardous Drugs onto the list for reasons of safety, but is just as much in our interest to keep non-Hazardous Drugs off of the list. Hazardous Drugs are often treated with special care that interrupts the workflow of the pharmacy, and are put into a waste stream that is much more expensive than that used by normal drugs. This can create an unnecessary financial burden on the pharmacy and healthcare providers. The establishment of reliable, relevant, and accurate standards is important to the safety of healthcare providers and the public, and important for allowing us to provide the best care possible to the patients we serve.

Andrew York ; 410-804-1170 ; ayork003@umaryland.edu ; University of Maryland