Quality Assurance and Quality Control, Part 1.

The tragedy surrounding the New England Compounding Center and contaminated steroid syringe preparations clearly points out what can happen if quality-assurance and quality-control procedures are not strictly practiced in the compounding of sterile preparations. This article represents part 1 of a 2-part article on quality-assurance and quality-control procedures and serves as an introduction to the topic of finished preparation release checks and tests. Part 1 highlights what is required to comply with United States Pharmacopeia General Chapter <797>, and part 2 continues with a discussion on the requirements of <797> as well as what is required in chapter < 1163> with respect to quality assurance of compounded sterile preparations. Written procedures, good documentation practices, and specific details for clarity, sterility, and bacterial endotoxin (pyrogen) testing are presented in this article.