Storage of Medicines and Medical Devices

This CD was compiled by Daphne Coleiro, pharmacy student at the Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Malta, as part of the dissertation carried out under the supervision of Professor Anthony Serracino-Inglott undertaken in partial fulfilment of the requirements leading to the M. Pharm. degree.

Information compiled has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable in order to provide information that is complete and in accordance with the standards accepted at the time of writing. Readers are encouraged to check the product information on the summery of product characteristics to be certain that no storage condition changes have been made.

This publication is one of a number of booklets prepared by pharmacy students with the guidance of their supervisors. These booklets are part of research projects that are undertaken within the Department of Pharmacy and are intended to provide information about the rational use of medicines and the management of minor ailments and chronic conditions. Ms. Daphne Coleiro has worked on a project which addresses the practice of safe storage of medicines and medical devices. She has specifically focused on the medicine storage temperatures. In this booklet she has compiled information that is useful when healthcare professionals are faced with dilemmas because the medicinal product was not continuously stored in the recommended temperature. She has included information about the acceptable duration at room temperature for vaccines and insulins that are normally stored in a refrigerator. This is useful information for pharmacists in community pharmacies, Responsible Persons within the Wholesale Distribution practice and Qualified Persons in the Pharmaceutical Industry.

Through these projects, the pharmacy students gain hands-on experience and practical areas of pharmacy and develop skills and competences in approaching research studies and in documentation.

Cover artwork by: Mr. Malcolm Sacco The author makes no representation, expressed or implied, with regards to the accuracy of the information contained in this booklet and cannot accept any legal responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions that may be made.

Daphne Coleiro Storage of Medicines and Medical Devices