2015 Volume 41 Issue 9 Pages 630-635
We recently reported that various amounts of cyclophosphamide (CP) had contaminated both the inside and outside of the blister pack, and refrigerated storage of CP oral tablets can protect healthcare workers and patients from contact CP exposure. However, the contamination from a non-volatile agent, fluorouracil (FU), and its preventive procedures are not elucidated. Here we showed high levels of FU were detected from inside the blister pack. Raman imaging showed that the FU ingredient was not attached to the surface of the tablet coating layer and had not leached out of the tablet. In addition, the amount of FU detected inside the blister pack had no significant change by physical loading including shaking and heating. Thus, the FU contamination could be because of the manufacturing environment rather than the FU oral tablets themselves. We suggest that the pharmacists should instruct the patients to administer or handle tablets and capsules containing antitumor agents without direct hand contact. In addition, pharmacists should provide information about the contamination state and effective decontamination procedures for antitumor agents.
