Baxa Corporation to Bring USP, ASHE and CAHED Together for a Joint Forum on USP 797 Compliance at the STAR Center

Englewood, Colo. – Baxa Corporation announces plans to bring together industry thought leaders for a day-long forum on cleanroom compliance and best practice. Active members from the United States Pharmacopeia Council of Experts, the American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE) and Colorado Association of Healthcare Engineers and Directors (CAHED) and the Colorado Board of Pharmacy are invited to the session to discuss common goals and challenges in meeting USP “cleanroom” or 797 requirements. The first class, planned for January 25, 2008, is an invitation-only event. Following this forum in January, the course will be open to outside enrollment. Initial program dates are October 24, 2008 and November 14, 2008.

This extension of the Baxa STAR Center course offerings – Facility Design & Engineering Controls for USP 797 – is a new design course intended to provide an in-depth educational resource regarding compliance with USP 797 for facilities managers, engineers and architects. The Facility Design & Engineering course brings the realities of process flow, work flow, and raw material flow together with the cleanroom design requirements set by USP 797.

The goal of the inaugural course is to facilitate understanding on idealism vs. the realities of USP compliance among those who comply with and enforce the regulations. According to Pete Campanella, Baxa Director of Professional Services, “Baxa is excited to be part of this forum. Bringing these groups together promotes open communication and cooperation to further best practices in the hospital pharmacy.” The open forum will serve as a catalyst for these organizations to join in helping hospital pharmacies and facilities managers build and maintain the necessary facilities to improve the quality of parenteral care delivered to patients.

Course topics for Facility Design & Engineering Controls for USP 797 include aseptic technique and movement in the cleanroom, engineering controls required for hazardous and non-hazardous drugs and certification procedures. Through these topics, participants will gain a thorough understanding of the scope of USP Chapter 797, the facility requirements defined in USP 797 and the use of smoke studies to validate proper airflow.

Baxa develops products that improve hospital pharmacy operations and support best practice. The company designed and built the STAR Center as a fully USP 797-compliant pharmacy cleanroom to provide professional education on pharmacy practice, cleanroom principles and compliance to regulatory requirements. The STAR Center, the only dedicated facility of its kind, provides facilities managers, engineers and architects a unique opportunity to have hands-on training regarding facility requirements.

Baxa Corporation will feature the STAR Center courses on sterile compounding and facilities design at the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Mid-Year Meeting in Las Vegas, December 3 – 5, 2007.

About Baxa Corporation

Baxa, a customer-focused medical device company, provides innovative, solution-based technologies for fluid handling and delivery. Its systems and devices promote the safe and efficient preparation, handling, packaging, and administration of fluid medications. Privately held, Baxa Corporation has subsidiaries and sales offices in Canada and the United Kingdom; direct representation in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Luxembourg and The Netherlands; and distribution partners worldwide. Further information is available at http://www.baxa.com

About the STAR Center

The STAR Center is a state-of-the-art cleanroom, pharmacy and training facility located at the Baxa world headquarters in Englewood, Colorado. The center was purpose-built to support training in aseptic technique, pharmacy workflow and practice, cleanroom design and maintenance and USP 797 compliance, among other topics. Classes are taught by industry-recognized subject matter experts. Further information is available at http://www.baxa.com/starcenter

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Contacts:

Marian Robinson, Vice President, Marketing
Baxa Corporation http://www.baxa.com – 800.567.2292 ext. 2157 or 303.617.2157
Email: marian.robinson@baxa.com

Maggie Chamberlin Holben, APR
Absolutely Public Relations http://www.absolutelypr.com – 303.984.9801 or 303.669.3558
Email: maggie@absolutelypr.com