Annals of Pharmacotherapy

An aerosol laboratory was established in the hospital pharmacy at The Clinical Center of the National Institutes of Health in late 1965. The need for such a laboratory was prompted by the requests of nurses and clinical investigators for pharmaceuticals in an aerosol dosage form. Specifically, physicians in the Dermatology Branch of the National Cancer Institute had requested the formulation of dermatological preparations in the form of aerosols for the possible treatment of patients with mycosis fungoides. It was hoped that aerosol therapy would be effective and lead to better patient care because of its ease of application, elimination of contamination or deterioration of product by contact, oxidation, moisture or light, and elimination of physical contact with a consequent reduction of pain and infection.

Evaluation of the potential usefulness of an aerosol unit in a hospital pharmacy, and the advantages and disadvantages of such a unit, are reported. Selection of the basic equipment needed for the aerosol filling or packaging, principles of operation and control and evaluation procedures are discussed.

A syringe-needle attachment unit was evaluated in a test designed to show whether or not it would be possible to attach needles to filled syringes with that unit and maintain sterility of the medication. Of 460 syringes filled and closed in a horizontal laminar flow unit, none was contaminated. Based on the moderate sample, it can be concluded that the unit will indeed permit closure of syringes without introduction of contamination.