2. STORAGE AND PRODUCT SHELF LIFE
Shelf life- is the length of time a product may be
stored without affecting the usability and safety of
the item, if the product is stored under the prescribed
conditions.
Most products have the expiration date already labelled
on them.
To find this important date look in the following places:
On the carton in which the product is shipped
On the inner box, packaging of the product
On the product itself.
2
3. FOLLOWING FEFO
FEFO means ―first-to-expire, first-out.
o Always distribute products that will expire before
other products.
o To apply FEFO, Store Managers and Health Facility
In-Charges should:
Write the expiry dates on the outside of cartons.
o Place the cartons or products so that the first to
expire are stacked in front of or on top of products
that will expire later.
3
4. ……..
• Arrange cartons so that arrows point up.
• Ensure visibility of
– Labels
– Expiry dates
– Manufacturing dates
• First expire first out (FEFO)
• Store supplies in a manner accessible for
FEFO, counting, and general management.
• Separate and dispose of damaged or expired
products immediately.
• Ensure Security
4
5. STOCK KEEPING
Follow the manufacturer or shippers directions
Ensure safe custody of poisons
Place liquid products on the lower shelves
Store cold storage products in appropriate
temperature zones
Keep narcotic and psychotropic substances with a
high secured places
Separate damaged, expired and returned products and
dispose using established procedures
Store in a manner of FIFO policy
Report to appropriate body for redistribution of
medicines with near expire date. 5
6. STOCK ROTATION
Periodic stock reconciliation should be performed
Issue products that will expire first (FEFO)
To facilitate FIFO & FEFO, place products that may
expire first in front of products with a latter expiry
date.
Write expiry dates on stock cards
Supplies with no expiry or manufacture date should
be stored in the order received and dispensed
accordingly.
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7. STORAGE GUIDELINES
In general, supplies should be protected from sun,
heat, and water.
Follow manufacturer recommendations for storing
supplies.
This information is usually printed on the product
carton and boxes.
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8. THE FOLLOWING ARE GENERAL STORAGE
GUIDELINES FOR PHARMACEUTICALS.
Clean the storeroom regularly
Store pharmaceuticals in a dry, well-lit, well
ventilated storeroom –out of direct sunlight.
Protect storeroom from water penetration.
Keep fire safety equipment available,
accessible, and functional, and train
employees to use it.
Store latex products away from electric
motors and fluorescent lights.
8
9. ……..
Maintain cold storage, including a cold chain, as
required.
– Ex. Insulin, Oxytocin, vaccines
– Damage if the cold chain is broken
– Refrigeration (electric or kerosene powered)
– Cold boxes or insulated coolers
Limit storage area access to authorized personnel
and lock up controlled substances.
Stack cartons at least 10 cm off the floor, 30 cm
away from the wall and other stacks, and no more
than 2.5m high.
– promote air circulation
– facilitate the movement of stock
– cleaning and inspection
– Pallets - pest, water, and dirt
– Stocked pallet, Pallet racking, Shelves 9
10. ……..
Store medical supplies away from insecticides,
chemicals, old files, office supplies and other
materials.
– shelf life
– Reduce space
– Make products less accessible
Store pharmaceuticals to facilitate FEFO
procedures and stock management.
10
11. ……..
Arrange cartons with arrows pointing up, and
with identification labels, expiry dates, and
manufacturing dates clearly visible.
Separate unusable pharmaceuticals from
usable pharmaceuticals and dispose of
damaged or expired products, Remove them
from inventory immediately and dispose of
them using established procedures.
11
12. ……..
Store flammable products separately from
other products. Take appropriate safety
precautions. Ensure that fire safety equipment is
available
and accessible and personnel are trained to
use it.
– Strictly prohibit smoking in the store.
– Place smoke detectors
– Check smoke detectors every 2–3 months to
ensure that they are working properly.
• Stopping the fire
12
13. ……..
– fire extinguishers
– water douses wood and paper fires
– use buckets of sand
– Train staff in the use of the available fire safety
equipment
– Flammables
• Must be stored in special buildings or rooms.
• well ventilated and fireproof.
13
14. ……..
Store flammable products separately from
other products.
– bottled gas or kerosene powers
– Refrigerators
– Alcohol
– mineral spirits power
– Bunsen burner
Store away from other products
Fire extinguisher.
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22. STORAGE CONDITIONS
Medicines do not keep indefinitely. Some can be
kept for only a short time.
Loss of drug (such as hydrolysis or oxidation),
Loss of vehicle (such as evaporation or water or
other volatile ingredient),
loss of uniformity (such as caking of a suspension
or creaming of an emulsion),
change in bioavailability (particularly tablets)
change of appearance (such as colour changes)
22
23. ……..
2 classes:
Normal storage conditions
Special storage conditions
Cold storage conditions,
Combustible/flammable and Secured
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24. NORMAL STORAGE CONDITIONS
Dry, Well-ventilated premises at temperatures of
15-25 °C or, depending on climatic conditions, up to
30°C. Extraneous odours & intense light – Must be
excluded.
Protect from moisture : No more than 60%
relative humidity eg: Nitro glycerine sublingual
tablet
Protect from light : Provide to patient in a light-
resistant container eg: Tinctures
Photosensitive products : Shade the windows or
use curtains.
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25. SECURED STORAGE CONDITIONS
Keep narcotics drugs, psychotropic substance,
other controlled substances and their
documents should be kept in securely locked
rooms or cupboards.
The keys should be kept in a secure place and it is
preferable that only the chief of pharmacy should
have access to them.
– Dangerous when misused
– Stolen for sale on the black market
Limit access to the storeroom
Track the movement of products.
Physical inventories 25
26. COMBUSTIBLE / FLAMMABLE
Some categories of drugs and supplies require
special storage conditions.
These include narcotic and psychotropic
substances, and combustibles.
Special or separate rooms.
All stores should be equipped with fire
extinguishers.
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27. COLD STORAGE CONDITIONS
Store products that are sensitive to freezing or very
low temperatures on the upper shelves.
If there is enough space, place a few plastic bottles
of water in the refrigerator.
Do not keep staff food in the refrigerator. Opening
and closing the door may lower the temperature
and cause medicines to deteriorate. Record the
temperature daily. Check that there is enough
space around the refrigerator so air can move
freely.
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29. GOOD STORAGE PRACTICES
Storage condition based on temperature
– information directly from the manufacturer.
– In a deep freeze (-15°C)
– In a refrigerator/cold 2°C -8°C
– Cool temperature 8°C-15°C
– Room temperature 15°C - 25°C
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30. GOOD STORAGE PRACTICES
Clean and disinfect storeroom regularly
– Rodents and insects
– Avoid food and drink
• Store supplies in a dry, well-lit, well-ventilated
storeroom out of direct sunlight.
– extreme heat and exposure
– E.g Latex condom (> 40 oC )
– air conditioning
– ceiling fans and forced ventilation.
– Avoid direct sunlight( dark colored or opaque
bottle
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31. GOOD STORAGE PRACTICES
Secure storeroom from water penetration.
– Destroy supplies and packaging
– Repair leaky roofs and windows
– Use dehumidifiers
– Stack supplies off the floor on pallets
• 10 cm high and 30 cm away from walls
• Store condoms and other latex products away
from electric motors and fluorescent lights.
– Emit ozone → rapidly deteriorate condoms
– proper packaging (i.e., boxes and cartons)
– Keep away from light and motors
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32. GOOD STORAGE PRACTICES
Ensure that fire safety equipment is available
and accessible and personnel are trained to
use it.
– Strictly prohibit smoking in the store.
– Place smoke detectors
– Check smoke detectors every 2–3 months to
ensure that they are working properly.
• Stopping the fire
32
33. GOOD STORAGE PRACTICES
– fire extinguishers
– water douses wood and paper fires
– use buckets of sand
– Train staff in the use of the available fire safety
equipment
– Flammables
• Must be stored in special buildings or rooms.
• well ventilated and fireproof.
33
34. GOOD STORAGE PRACTICES
Maintain cold storage, including a cold chain,
for commodities that require it.
– Ex. Insulin, Oxytocin, vaccines
– Damage if the cold chain is broken
– Refrigeration (electric or kerosene powered)
– Cold boxes or insulated coolers
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35. CONDUCTING VISUAL INSPECTION
To ensure the quality of pharmaceuticals, it is important
to conduct visual inspections of the products.
Visual inspection is the process of examining
products and their packaging by eye to look for
problems in product quality.
A visual inspection should be completed each time
products are handled:
when receiving, issuing or dispensing pharmaceuticals,
or when conducting a physical count.
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36. WHEN CONDUCTING A VISUAL INSPECTION, BE
SURE TO CHECK THE FOLLOWING:
Package and product integrity: check for damage
to packaging.
Manufacturing defects: incomplete set, missing or
illegible identification information.
Labelling: Make sure that products are labeled
with the date of manufacture or expiration, lot
number and manufacturer‘s name.
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37. PRODUCT ARRANGEMENT IN THE PHARMACY
STORE
To improve pharmaceuticals management
efficiency (storage, recording, reporting and
resupply) store arrangement in the pharmacy store
should match the pre printed list in the
facility RRF.
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38. ARRANGEMENT OF MEDICINES
Shelves: Steel or Treated wood (Strong & robust)
Method of arrangement: Pharmacotherapeutic
category, alphabetical order by generic name and
dosage form.
Arrange each dosage form separate and distinct
areas, Leave sufficient empty space, Well
ventilated, dry and place protected from direct sun
light and heat, liquids in lowest shelf, do not store
anything directly on floor, always store cold-chain
items in refrigerator.
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40. CONDUCTING A PHYSICAL COUNT
A physical count (also called Physical Inventory) is
an actual count of the quantity of each
pharmaceutical at any given time.
It is one of the most frequent pharmaceuticals
management activities in health facilities.
40
41. ……..
A physical count of pharmaceuticals in the
storeroom should be conducted cyclically or
annually and the Bin Cards and Stock Record
Cards should be updated.
A physical count of the products in the storeroom is
done to verify that the stock balance found on the
Bin Card and the Stock Record Card shows the
correct number of usable pharmaceuticals that are
available in the storeroom.
41
42. ……..
If the quantity on the Bin Card or the Stock Record
Card does not match the quantity on the shelf, the
Bin Card and the Stock Record Card should be
updated and an adjustment should be entered.
Instructions on how to complete a physical count of
the storeroom and make adjustments to
the Bin Card and the Stock Record Card.
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