Are you storing your vaccines correctly? Recent research has shown an alarming level of use of domestic refrigerators to store vaccines. Did you know that not only can this damage the effectiveness of the vaccines it also poses a security risk for medicines that should be locked away?

The National Pharmaceutical Association (NPA) represents over 90% of community pharmacies and recommends that refrigerators for the storage of vaccines meet the following criteria:

• Must only be used for the storage of pharmaceutical products and medicines that require refrigeration
• Must maintain the stored pharmaceuticals with the temperature range +2°C and + 8°C
• Must have a means of indication the temperature of the products stored in the refrigerator
• Must be capable of automatic defrosting

In addition to the above points, the NPA recommend the following guidelines with regard to the use of the refrigerator:

The refrigerator must be regularly cleaned. It must be filled in accordance with the manufacturer's guidelines. The operating temperature range of the refrigerator must be monitored at regular intervals.Good practice would be to check and record the maximum/minimum temperatures of the refrigerator on a daily basis, on each day that the premises are open. The units should also be secure and fitted with a lock.

Cooling System

Our pharmacy refrigerators have forced-air cooling to ensure temperature stability and rapid temperature recovery after door openings.

Temperature Control

Out pharmacy refrigerators maintain an internal air temperature between +2°C and +8°C. A digital temperature controller is fitted win MIN/MAX memory for continuous monitoring. These refrigerators have a clear digital display showing current temperature and an audio/visual signal on temperature deviation. Remote alarm terminals provide a mains failure alarm signal.

Security

The doors of our pharmacy refrigerators are lockable to prevent theft or unauthorized access to the contents.