Baxa Corporation Announces USP 797 Course to be Hosted at the STAR Center

Englewood, Colo. – Baxa Corporation announces it has signed a hosting agreement with the United States Pharmacopeial (USP) Convention to promote a jointly developed course focused on facility compliance to USP Chapter 797. The agreement allows Baxa and USP to collaborate on course content and training at the STAR (Skills Training, Academics and Resources) Center continuing education facility in Englewood, Colorado. Members of the USP 797 committee, as well as professional faculty from the STAR Center, will participate as course instructors.

The agreement represents an opportunity for training participants to access USP subject matter experts and receive guided implementation materials. Attendees to the Aseptic Processing and Compliance for USP 797 course are equipped with the knowledge and references to lead their pharmacies to USP 797 compliance. The program provides 21 hours of continuing education (CE) credit.

The STAR Center, a premier facility designed for cleanroom and pharmacy practice demonstration and training, is located at Baxa Corporation's world headquarters in the Denver metropolitan area. Baxa built the STAR Center to provide professional education on pharmacy practice, cleanroom principles and compliance to regulatory requirements. Baxa and USP plan to hold 16 sessions of their Compliance Tools for USP 797 course in 2009. The collaboration between the two companies – both of whom hosted similar courses previously at different sites – will provide a comprehensive program for practical compliance with USP 797 in the only purpose-built training facility for pharmacy and cleanroom practice training.

"This agreement, along with the STAR Center facility, offers a unique training opportunity for participants," states Phil Wettestad, Baxa Pharmacy Operations Manager. "We're looking forward to the opportunity to improve the quality of our existing programs and collaborate on future pharmacy training with USP that meets health-system pharmacy needs."

As pharmacies across the country continue the work of bringing their facilities up-to-date with the latest USP 797 revisions, Baxa – through its STAR Center training and Productivity and Compliance Tools (PACT) – strives to provide realistic implementation solutions for best practice and regulatory compliance. The USP contribution to the STAR Center course helps ensure that its content is current and accurate. Baxa Corporation is excited to announce this new course, which furthers its commitment to best-in-class pharmacy practice training.

About Baxa Corporation

Baxa, a customer-focused medical device company, provides innovative, solution-based technologies for medication handling and delivery. Further information is available at http://www.baxa.com

About the United States Pharmacopeia (USP)

USP is a private, non-profit, standards-setting organization that advances public health by helping to ensure the quality and consistency of medicines, food ingredients, and dietary supplements. Its standards are recognized worldwide. For more information about USP and its public health programs, visit http://www.usp.org/newscenter

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

Contacts:

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

Sandra Kim, Manager, Media Relations USP
USP: 301-816-8241
Email: sek@usp.org