Thermolabile Drugs. Operating Procedure in the Event of Cold Chain Failure

Objective

To establish a standard operating procedure in the event of cold chain failure.

Method

We selected thermolabile drugs included in the hospital's pharmaceutical guide. We performed a review of the available literature, classifying each drug into a given category with an intervention protocol for each one.

Results

We reviewed 254 drugs (162 active ingredients). Categories were: A (stable ≥28 days at 25 °C): 65 drugs; B (≥7 days at 25 °C): 47 drugs; C (≥48 h at 25 °C): 30 drugs; D (<48 h at 25 °C): 47 drugs; E (unstable >8 °C): 12 drugs; F (batch-dependent) 22 drugs. Thirty-one drugs were not classified into any category.

The intervention protocol consisted of establishing a system to monitor the products concerned, and discarding or returning them to the laboratory if they were to exceed the time or temperature limit indicated for each category.

Discussion

The aim of this study is to make intervention quicker in the event of cold chain failure.