USP Issues “Enforceable” Standard for Hazardous Drug Handling by Healthcare Workers

​The United States Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) has issued new standards defining processes to minimize healthcare worker exposure to hazardous drugs, such as cancer chemotherapy agents, that can cause acute or chronic health effects in exposed employees. The standard, Hazardous Drugs—Handling in Healthcare Settings, is published as chapter 800 in the United States Pharmacopeia-National Formulary (USP-NF). The standard covers all healthcare personnel who handle hazardous drug preparations and all healthcare facilities that store, prepare, transport, or administer hazardous drugs, USP said in a February 1, 2016, press release. Hazardous drugs covered by the chapter are those identified by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in its list of antineoplastic and other hazardous drugs.