Assessment of the surface contamination of the primary packaging of oral antineoplastic drugs and secondary packaging of chemotherapy preparations at a Swiss hospital

Nathalie Nguyen; Virginie Vallet; Lucie Bouchoud; Ludivine Falaschi; Serge Rudaz; Pascal Bonnabry; Sandrine Fleury-Souverain

doi:10.1177/10781552241250010

Assessment of the surface contamination of the primary packaging of oral antineoplastic drugs and secondary packaging of chemotherapy preparations at a Swiss hospital

J Oncol Pharm Pract. 2024 May 15:10781552241250010. doi: 10.1177/10781552241250010. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Nathalie Nguyen^{1

2}, Virginie Vallet², Lucie Bouchoud², Ludivine Falaschi², Serge Rudaz¹, Pascal Bonnabry^{1

2}, Sandrine Fleury-Souverain^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Western Switzerland (ISPSO), School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Geneva, CMU, Geneva, Switzerland.
² Pharmacy, Geneva University Hospitals (HUG), Geneva, Switzerland.

PMID: 38751088
DOI: 10.1177/10781552241250010

Abstract

Introduction: Due to the high toxicity of antineoplastic drugs, handling their packaging could lead to the chemical contamination of hospital environments and exposure risks to healthcare professionals and patients. This study aimed to assess the contamination of two main surfaces: the outer primary packaging of oral antineoplastic drug formulations (n = 36) available on the Swiss market and the surface of secondary packaging of injectable antineoplastic drug preparations (n = 60) produced by the pharmacy of a Swiss hospital and carriers used for transport (n = 5).

Methods: Samples were collected using a validated wipe sampling method. The simultaneous analysis of 24 antineoplastic drugs: 5-fluorouracil, busulfan, carboplatin, cyclophosphamide, cytarabine, dacarbazine, daunorubicin, docetaxel, doxorubicin, epirubicin, etoposide, gemcitabine, idarubicin, ifosfamide, irinotecan, methotrexate, oxaliplatin, paclitaxel, pemetrexed, raltitrexed, topotecan, treosulfan, vinblastine, vincristine) and 1 antiviral compound (ganciclovir) was performed by UHPLC-MS/MS.

Results: A total of 58% and 90% positive results were obtained for the primary packaging of oral chemotherapies and for the secondary packaging of injectable preparations, respectively. The highest quantities found on the primary packaging for oral chemotherapies and on the surface of closed leak-proof bags were 111 ng of methotrexate and 19 ng of gemcitabine, respectively. Gemcitabine (69%) and cyclophosphamide (38%) were the two most common contaminants found on the packaging of injectable preparations and carriers, regardless of the chemotherapy preparations.

Conclusion: Trace levels (ng) of antineoplastic drugs can be found on most surfaces of all evaluated pharmaceutical products. Thus, suitable personal protective equipment is mandatory for healthcare professional handling antineoplastic drugs.

Keywords: Antineoplastic drugs; chemotherapy packaging; external chemical contamination; health professionals; liquid chromatography; mass spectrometry; occupational exposure; trace analysis.