Written by Rachel Kohn
Stringent requirements for pharmaceutical and vaccine storage cover not only storage temperatures but also ongoing temperature monitoring. Undercounter lab refrigerators and undercounter lab freezers by Nor-Lake Scientific and available from Tovatech have recently been upgraded with new features to meet these requirements.
Two examples are the 4 cu.ft. and 5 cu.ft. auto-defrost laboratory refrigerators, both newly equipped with microprocessor temperature controllers and LED displays. The undercounter lab refrigerator can be controlled from 2˚ to 10˚ C (35.6˚ – 50˚F). The set temperature is displayed, and should temperatures vary outside the set temperature audio and visual alarms sound. As an added feature the units can be connected to a remote alarm system to alert personnel working in other lab locations.
A third model is an undercounter manual defrost laboratory freezer for storing frozen vaccines that should not be kept in auto-defrost freezers. This vaccine freezer has an optional sealable 1-inch sensor port to provide a means of connection between the internal thermocouple and external display module. Because of this there is no need to run thermocouple wiring behind the door gasket. It too can be connected to remote alarm systems.
All three models have lockable doors to comply with JCAHO regulations.
Complementing the existing line of Nor-Lake refrigerators and freezers these three undercounter models further enable laboratories and healthcare facilities to meet recommended pharmaceutical and vaccine storage requirements.
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What procedures does your laboratory or healthcare facility follow for the storage and monitoring of pharmaceuticals and vaccines?
Nor-Lake’s NSLR051WMW/0 Undercounter Refrigerator with optional casters as available from Tovatech. The LED monitor is at the lower left.
Written by Rachel Kohn
Enzymes are the catalysts of the biochemical reactions that comprise metabolism; they do their job without changing themselves in the process. Enzymes are responsible for bringing about almost all of the chemical reactions in living organisms. Without enzymes, these reactions take place at a rate far too slow for the pace of metabolism.*
Enzymes being studied by researchers must be stored in a enzyme freezer at temperatures in the region of -10 to -25˚C (+14 to -13˚F). When stored at higher temperatures enzymes gradually denature and lose catalytic activity. Proper storage conditions are essential to ensure that the enzymatic activity on the label is indeed the activity inside the bottle. I have many not so fond memories of failed experiments in graduate school because the rather costly purified enzyme suspensions failed to perform as expected, all due to inadequate storage.
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Written by Rachel Kohn
Laboratory refrigerators and laboratory freezers are designed and constructed to meet much stricter standards than typically found in household or commercial units. Pharmaceuticals, blood and plasma, for example, must be stored within tight temperature ranges to avoid loss of potency or spoilage. Lab refrigerators and lab freezers such as manufactured by Nor-Lake and available from Tovatech are built to meet the demanding requirements of pharmaceutical manufacturers and healthcare providers.
Design Options
Laboratory and healthcare provider purchasing agents can choose from a broad menu of sizes and configurations when looking for lab refrigerators and lab freezers. Common to all are heavy-duty refrigeration systems that work to maintain temperatures within prescribed parameters as programmed into incorporated temperature controls. Units also feature visual and audio high-low alarm systems to alert personnel if these limits are exceeded.
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Written by Rachel Kohn
A controlled environment is critical to maintaining the potency and safety of pharmaceutical products across a supply chain stretching between R&D laboratories, manufacturing facilities, transportation and storage at healthcare facilities. Examples of controlled environments include laboratory refrigerators, laboratory freezers, blood bank refrigerators, chromatography refrigerators, laboratory incubators, stability chambers and temperature test chambers.
Equipment such as this as manufactured by Norlake Scientific and offered by Tovatech is designed and constructed to comply with standards developed and promulgated by the FDA, the AABB, the Red Cross and other agencies. Once the equipment is purchased, however, the facility operator assumes the responsibility of assuring it is installed and maintained according to FDA and related guidelines.
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