Aim:

To implement an optimise a methodology to evaluate the risks involved in the compounding of drug products in Hospital Pharmacy Services with the objective of prioritise the validation of analytical methods for quality control.

Method:

Two different methods were designed to assess the Risk Priority Number. For their analysis and comparison, 3 parameters were evaluated in each drug product: administration route, dispensing rate and compounding process complexity. To each parameter 4 levels of severity were allotted, being 1 the lowest and 4 the highest. The criteria to assign the level of severity for each parameter differ in both methods used. 65 drug products were evaluated with each method.

Results:

The use of Método 1 segregates drug products in 8 groups as per the Risk Priority Number, whilst Método 2 separates them in 14 groups out of the 16 feasible ones. Dispensing rate in Método 1 lumps together in the first level 92,31% of the drug products; complexity, by its side, clusters 86,15% in levels 2 and 4. On the other hand, Método 2 divides drug products in groups of 25% per severity level according to dispensing rate, since they are distributed in quartiles. Complexity, since it separates aseptic drug products exposed to final sterilisation from the ones compounded by aseptic processing, sets products apart in a more homogeneous groups.

Conclusions:

Método 2 is capable to prioritise in a more effective way the validation of analytical methods for quality control of analysed drug products; with a slightly higher convolution, it accomplishes the aim of these methods to a larger extent.

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