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The physico-chemical stability of an injectable preparation (IV) is conditioned by different parameters. A collaboration between the pharmacy, the chemistry laboratory and the statisticians of the scientific support unit was established in 1996, in order to carry out long-term chemical stability studies of commonly used IVs and to be able to take charge of their preparation in pharmacy. In 24 years of activity, the Drug Stability Research Group (DSRG) tested 39 IV at different concentration and temperature of storage. The DSRG has organized an annual symposium since 2015. The theme of the 2019 edition was devoted to the robotization of injectable reconstitution operations, focused on their impact on the workplace and the existing equipment.

In hospitals, the majority of medication therapy is administered intravenously. Especially, in intensive care units, simultaneous of various injectable drugs is a common practice Drug incompatibilities have been reported to be associated with up to 60 % of all serious and life-threatening adverse drug events. Several databases are used by hospital pharmacists to answer the questions of (in)compatibility of co-administered injectable drugs. The objective of this article is to present the European databases on compatibility and stability of injectable drugs. According to a questionnaire which was sent to the National Hospital Pharmacy Associations of the 28 countries of European Community there are three national databases available in EU countries which are in alphabetical order, Belgium, France and Germany. The Belgian database is dedicated to injectable medications, is updated and distributed annually in French language on a USB key. STABILIS® is an international database giving information with pictograms translated into 29 languages. This database contains also monographs of non-injectable drugs. The internet-based ADKA STABIL-Datenbank is focused on anticancer drug therapy, listing detailed datasets in German language on stability and compatibility including the references.

Automated compounding systems appeared on the market during these last 15 years as an alternative for manual compounding of intravenous (IVD) drugs. A literature review was conducted on reconstitution of IVD. The following methods were identified: manual, semi- automatic and automatic. A classification was carried out in three categories: automatic syringes, peristaltic pumps, and compounding doses robots. The number of compounding robots is increasing. A table describes the different features of each device. The ampuls cannot be supported by these robots. Large doses vials improve the time of reconstitution compared to current dosage vials. Advantages of automated preparation are: higher consistency of process and products, higher accuracy of products, Integrated digitized processing, precise, complete documentation, reduced effort and wrist injuries, reduced personnel requirement, increased worker satisfaction. Disadvantages of automated preparation are: risk of failure/down time, dependency on power supply, software (updates), high investment costs/high maintenance costs, specialized personnel with additional training, decreased worker satisfaction (early adopter), complexity when products are switched or added, potential for new errors. This review allows the potential user to know the current availability on the market.

All dosage forms prepared in hospital pharmacies should be labelled with an appropriate shelf-life. This shelf-life should be validated taking chemical, physical and microbiological data into consideration. This guidance focuses on parenteral aseptically prepared products, as they are high-risk preparations. The risk is exacerbated by a requirement for longer shelf lives for reasons of economy and efficiency. The scope of this guidance includes individual patient preparations, preparations prepared in series (same type of preparation being repeatedly prepared) and batch preparations prepared from the same initial bulk admixture.

Piperacillin-Tazobactam is frequently infused in hospitals. The use of a generic version was considered after the out of stock of the brand name Tazocin®. The stability of 4 g of Tazocin® in 120 mL of dextrose 5 % (D5) was demonstrated during 35 days at 5 °C ± 3 °C after freezing (−20 °C) and microwave thawing (FMT). The aim of the study was to investigate and compare the long-term stability of Tazocin® and a generic product in the same conditions.

Vancomycin is increasingly administrated by continuous infusion. But the treatment of patient in intensive care need restricted volume to prevent fluid overload. The aim of the study was to evaluate the physical and chemical stability of solutions of a high concentration of vancomycin hydrochloride in 5 % glucose or 0.9 % NaCl.

In hospitals, a major part of the drugs is administered via the intravenous route. When one wants to evaluate or know the stability of a drug in solution, it is necessary to know several physico-chemical parameters. Several reference works are available to help the hospital pharmacist with this research. However, reading these different sources can make you discover conflicting data. It is therefore necessary at this time to obtain the publications with contradictory results and to read them again. Seven criteria have been identified for judging the quality of a publication on physicochemical stability: full description of equipment, methods and analytical conditions of molecules studied; complete description of the procedures used to validate the analytical method; full indication of time testing and measurement bases or control; documentation on the analytical reproducibility; adequate statistical analysis; appropriate conclusions; appropriate references. In conclusion, everything in a compatibility study is important.