USP General Chapter 800 ComplianceThe United States Pharmacopeia (USP) is a non-profit, private organization with standards enforced throughout various regulatory agencies such as individual state’s Boards of Pharmacy and the Joint Commission.  The USP’s latest chapter on managing hazardous drugs in the healthcare industry, USP<800>, provides comprehensive guidelines on managing the entire life cycle of drugs as well as health and safety considerations during preparation and compounding.

Many departments in a hospital or healthcare facility are affected beyond the Pharmacy such as:

  • Nursing
  • Infection control
  • Employee health
  • Environmental health and safety
  • Many others

The entire organization is affected by the drugs prescribed by pharmacies.  Building a robust drug management and disposal program around USP<800> compliance means developing a multidisciplinary approach.  A robust pharmaceutical management program compliant to USP<800> ultimately leads to enhanced staff and patient safety.

USP General Chapter <800> Compliance Focus

High priority items included in the USP<800> focus include:

  • Updating policies and procedures related to the receipt and storage of medications
  • Training all staff on the proper handling and documentation of controlled substances
  • Policies regarding dispensing and administering drugs to patients
  • Developing a drug inventory according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s (NIOSH’s) hazardous drug list
  • Training staff on the hazards of specific drugs and documentation requirements
  • Ensuring that all staff has the proper personal protective equipment (PPE) for their role
  • Maintaining medication surveillance policies

Developing a policy for the proper management and disposal of medications includes these especially important points and many others.  All drug disposal programs must follow federal regulations CFR 21, 40 and 42 to meet DEA and EPA regulations.   Facilities should always follow federal, state, local, facility, or tribal requirements for safe disposal.

Compliant Drug Disposal Systems 

C2R Global Manufacturing, Inc. is a market leader in providing compliant drug disposal systems to many industries including hospitals, pharmacies, long-term care facilities, correctional facilities and more.  We offer compliance consultations, on-site training, seamless implementation, free samples, industry best practices and more.  Our easy to use containers are convenient and instantly neutralize medications to render them non-retrievable, meeting all federal DEA and EPA guidelines.

C2R Global Manufacturing, Inc. is dedicated to saving water and saving lives…one prescription at a time.  We provide safe and effective drug disposal solutions which prevent environmental contamination and drug diversion.  Contact us to learn more about implementing a safe, easy and compliant drug disposal and diversion prevention program.