Safe and Simple Closed System for the Preparation of Ointments Containing Cytotoxic Drugs

We developed safe and simple closed system for preparing ointments containing cytotoxic drugs using a polyethylene bag.β-Carotene (β-C) and fluorescein sodium (FL) were used as model drugs in the present study. All preparation procedures were carried out in a polyethylene bag. The uniformity of drug content in the ointment was obtained by rolling the contents more than 20 times with a roller in both model drugs. The contents of each model drug in the ointment prepared by a closed system were consistent with those by the conventional method using a glass mortar. The time required to prepare the ointment in a closed system was much shorter than that using the conventional method. In addition, no contamination was observed in the closed system, whereas some contamination of the cyto-safe sheet and gloves with FL were observed with the conventional method. Based on the present findings, a closed system using a polyethylen bag is thus considered to be a useful method for preparing ointments containing cytotoxic drugs.