Labcold Fridges provide Vets with safe vaccine storage
02 February 2010
The VMD code of practice is just one aspect of red tape that Veterinary practitioners have to contend with along with other regulations and guidlines.
The BVA provides useful advice and support in achieving compliance in its publication ‘Good practice guide on veterinary medicines, but it is easy for busy vets and practice managers to sometimes miss important details or be unclear on how to actually achieve compliance, especially given the enormity of the detail within the guide.Clauses covering the storage of temperature-sensitive vaccines are easily overlooked and even when discovered do not supply you with a specific solution. Fortunately help is at hand from Labcold, the specialist British manufacturer of medical, scientific and laboratory refrigeration – a company with over 30 years experience assisting customers in meeting similar requirements regarding human vaccines.
With human vaccines there have been widely reported incidents where incorrect storage has led to significant numbers of patients requiring revaccination. To date, the veterinary profession has not seen these types of unfortunate headline and Labcold aims to help keep it that way. Domestic products are adequately designed to store food items, as well as conform to the many regulations surrounding this function. However, they often feature low-tech temperature control mechanisms and components.
Factors such as accuracy of control, uniformity of temperature within the storage chamber and speed of recovery after door openings are just not as important to a domestic fridge designer, compared to more basic requirements like how salad vegetables can be kept fresh. The BVA Good Practice Guide - Standard Operating Procedure 04 on the storage of medicinal products in permanent premises says as follows;
Refrigerated storage must:
• Be available for the storage of biologicals (i.e. vaccines) requiring a storage temperature between +2oC and +8OC
• Have temperatures monitored and capable of being recorded daily and the records retained for subsequent inspection
• Not be used for food or drink for human consumption
Although this guidance stops short of specifically excluding the use of domestic refrigerators, it is apparent that professional products are, without doubt, more appropriate since they are built specifically for vaccine and pharmaceutical storage.
Mr West, Spinney Hill Veterinary Centre, Surrey
“A simple online search led me to Labcold. I wanted to respond immediately to the new guidelines and achieve compliance as quickly as possible. While a little more expensive than the typical domestic alternatives, the Labcold model offers everything that you need in terms of safety and security, so the risk of any problems caused by inappropriate storage is eradicated.”
Labcold has recently launched a fully re-designed range of vaccine and pharmaceutical storage refrigerators that come in a range of sizes, all offering stable and closely controlled temperature with door lock and built-in temperature monitoring. In addition there are useful options such as glass doors, an alarm that sounds should the fridge temperature stray outside the pre-set limits and a handy new divided-drawer system.
For the safety of staff and of course any animal patients, it is also wise to choose a model that does not use poisonous ammonia as the refrigerant gas.
Other Press Releases By This Company
- 06/10/2011 - Labcold to launch NEW Pharmacy Fridge range at the Pharmacy Show 2011
- 20/09/2011 - Vaccine cold storage – a matter of life and cash?
- 25/03/2011 - Labcold to exhibit at Science World 2011
- 07/02/2011 - Labcold sign new framework agreement with Buying Solutions
- 05/01/2011 - New Pharmacy Brochure from Labcold
- 12/02/2010 - Re-modelled Laboratory Refrigeration from Labcold
- 12/02/2010 - Labcold announces new incubators
- 12/02/2010 - New 66 litre Refrigerator from Labcold
- 10/02/2010 - Labcold launch digital vaccine and sample transporter
