Baxa Announces 2009 Course Dates for its STAR Center® Training Facility

Englewood, Colo. – Baxa Corporation has published the 2009 course dates for training at its STAR (Skills Training, Academics and Resources) Center. The STAR Center, a premier facility designed for cleanroom and pharmacy practice demonstration, is located at the company's headquarters south of Denver, Colorado. For 2009, Baxa and USP (United States Pharmacopeia) together bring you sixteen opportunities to attend their flagship course, Aseptic Processing and Compliance Tools for USP 797. This two-and-one-half-day seminar will be taught by industry experts and members of the USP 797 Sterile Compounding Committee. In addition a companion course, Safe Handling and Preparation of Hazardous Drugs, will be offered six times during the 2009 calendar year with professional faculty.

The first USP compliance class will be held January 28 - 30, 2009, with subsequent program dates running through November, 2009. The ACPE-accredited training is filled on a first-come, first-serve basis and the previous two years' session dates have sold out. Attendance in the STAR Center classes is limited to 20 participants to ensure resource availability, student-teacher ratios and the opportunity for hands-on experience in the cleanrooms.

Baxa, in association with USP, recommends the Aseptic Processing and Compliance Tools for USP 797 course to equip compounding professionals with core knowledge and skills toward USP 797 compliance. The current programming targets pharmacy and IV managers, as well as pharmacists and technicians with lead responsibility for compounding activities. The program provides value for any personnel compounding sterile preparations or implementing cleanroom principles and practices that comply with USP 797 and industry best practice. Course topics include cleanroom physical design and layout, engineering controls and airflow science, media fill testing and principles associated with workflow, staff training, cleaning, monitoring, validation and documentation.

The Safe Handling and Preparation of Hazardous Drugs course educates pharmacists, technicians, nurses and physicians on how to handle hazardous drugs safely, while complying with regulatory requirements and industry best practice. This ten-hour course covers critical topics including engineering controls required when compounding hazardous drugs, proper use of closed-system drug transfer devices (CSDTDs), procedures for handling hazardous drug spills, hazardous waste containment and disposal and regulatory compliance.

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. Visit http://www.baxa.com/starcenter

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, promoting the safe and proper use of medications, and verifying ingredients in drugs and dietary supplements. Its standards are recognized worldwide. Visit http://www.usp.org/newscenter

About Baxa Corporation

Baxa, a customer-focused medical device company, provides innovative, solution-based technologies for medication handling and delivery. Its systems and devices promote the safe and efficient preparation, handling, packaging, and administration of medications. Visit http://www.baxa.com

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