UK HealthCare Study Uncovers Quality of Medication

Inspired by recent reports that some FDA‐approved medications do not contain the correct amount of active ingredient or may contain impurities not associated with good manufacturing practices, UK HealthCare launched a drug quality study led by Drs. Philip Almeter, Chief Pharmacy Officer, and Robert Lodder from the UK College of Pharmacy. The study aims to examine different finished sterile medications to determine their quality and consistency.

UK HealthCare is one of only two known pharmacy groups examining and testing incoming medications for dispensing for quality, purity, and potential contamination. The other known pharmacy group that is examining medications is focused on non‐sterile oral medications.

The drug study had its first breakthrough back in August when examining acetazolamide vials. The tests revealed that several vials in their contents had impurities greater than 6 times the amount allowed by the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) and multiple lots that did not contain enough active pharmaceutical ingredients per USP standards. Consequently, UK HealthCare filed a petition with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the recall of the affected lots involved.

From the pioneering hospital‐wide unit dose systems and the inaugural Drug Information Center to computerization of pharmacy records, pharmacokinetic monitoring services, overnight on‐call services, this new endeavor in pharmaceutical purity and patient safety is yet another example of how UK Pharmacy Services blazes a trail for others to follow.