More Than a Box: Pharmacy Cleanroom Design
Pharmacy cleanrooms (for the most part) are almost always confined to small footprint within the overall pharmacy department or work area which makes the design a crucial process to ensure USP and State regulation compliance is met as well as supporting staff and product workflow.
Strict design and build-out standards are laid out in USP General Chapters <797> and <800> that detail proper engineering controls, layout for pressure differentials, as well as equipment and components. All of which can be overwhelming for contractors/architects who might not be familiar with such standards or pharmacy cleanroom projects.
In the video below, our team walks through essential elements in the design and layout process of the pharmacy cleanroom suite.
After successfully designing and building pharmacy cleanrooms for several Health Systems and Independent Pharmacies, below are a few of our top take-aways for a successful design phase:
Upfront Communication with Pharmacy End Users. All vendors go home at the end of the project. The new cleanroom space is now occupied by pharmacy staff day-in and day-out. The space MUST meet standards of compliance and optimize workflow.
Plan for the Future. Current and future product volume should be considered as well as technology. The design should accommodate for such by incorporating additional space as well as data and electrical lines.
Coordination Among Architects, Contractors, and Vendors. The Pharmacy Cleanroom can be viewed as a puzzle. Each puzzle piece (i.e. Architect, Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, Cleanroom Vendor, etc.) all bring an important component to the project. Communication and coordination among those groups supports an efficient design and construction process.
ProPharma Cleanrooms continuously interacts with pharmacy end users and works seamlessly with the Architect of Record and all vendors to achieve a fully compliant cleanroom design and build that will last the test of time.