What must the verifying pharmacist check for when verifying compounded sterile products?

The verifying pharmacist plays a crucial role in ensuring the safety and efficacy of compounded sterile products. One of the key responsibilities during the verification process is to check for incompatibilities and/or particulates. This is essential because incompatible drugs can react chemically, potentially rendering them ineffective or harmful. Furthermore, the presence of particulates in a sterile product can lead to serious complications when administered to patients, such as embolism or infection.

Assessing incompatibilities involves evaluating whether the active ingredients, diluents, and other components in the compounded sterile product can coexist without adverse effects. This requires knowledge of the chemical properties of the compounds involved, as well as investigations into previous research and guidelines.

Particulates, on the other hand, can originate from various sources including the manufacturing process, the packaging, or even from the compounding environment. The presence of any visible particulate matter must be scrutinized, as it indicates a breach in sterility or an issue with product integrity, which could pose significant health risks to patients.

While factors such as label design and color, vial expiration dates, and packaging compliance are also important in the overall quality assurance process, they do not directly impact the safety and biological compatibility of the compounded sterile products like incompatibilities and particulates do. Therefore