Nuclear pharmacy notes

1. NUCLEAR PHARMACY
PRESENTED BY
SARAH MANN
ROBYN WILSON
TO THE P2 CLASS ON
MARCH 24, 2004

2. What is Nuclear Pharmacy?
 Specialty area of pharmacy practice
 Dedicated to the compounding and
dispensing of radiopharmaceuticals
 Diagnostic and therapeutic uses

3. Daily Operations
 “Milking” the Generator
 Preparation of Radioactive kits
 Making individual doses
 Transporting
 Waste Disposal

4. 99Mo – 99mTc Generator
 Source of Radioactivity
 Components of Generator
 Elution or “Milking” of Generator

5. Kit Preparation
 Multi-dose vials
 Ligand-containing
 Different kits for different therapeutic and
diagnostic procedures
 99mTc added for radioactivity

6. Individual Doses
 Order received from hospital or clinic
 Dose drawn from radioactive kits
 Volume drawn aseptically
 Behind lead shield barrier
 Final dosage assayed in dose calibrator
 Placed in lead “Pig”

7. Transportation
 Dose in “Pig” placed in lead briefcase
 Scan briefcase for safety purposes
 DOT regulates transportation

8. Waste Disposal
 Time degradation is factored in
 Over time, waste becomes “cold”
 “Cold” waste treated
 Incineration
 Sterilization

9. Safety
 Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
 Guidelines
 Laws
 License
 ALARA (as low as reasonably achievable) Concept

10. Diagnostic Uses
 Brain Imaging
 CSF Imaging
 Bone Imaging
 Cardiac Imaging
 Pulmonary Imaging
 Liver and Hepatobiliary Imaging
 Renal Imaging
 Thyroid Imaging
 Tumor Imaging

11. Therapeutic Uses
 Hyperthyroidism
 Palliative treatment of Bone Cancer
 Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

12. In Vivo and In Vitro Testing
 Red Blood Cell Labeling
 Uses include:
 GI blood loss studies
 Blood pool studies
 Spleen Imaging

13. PET
Positron Emission Tomography
 Generate radioactivity in nuclear reactor
 Manufacture radiopharmaceutical
 Shows both anatomy and physiology
 Shorter half-life than “traditional”
radiopharmaceuticals

14. How to become a Nuclear
Pharmacist
 Must be a RPh.
 Complete nuclear certification training
 University-based
 Purdue University
 The Ohio State University
 Company-based
 Cardinal Health

15. Benefits of Nuclear Pharmacy
 No customers or drive-thru’s
 Relaxed working environment
 Low Pharmacy Technician turnover
 Variety of duties & opportunities for
pharmacists
 Responsive management
 Top benefits and excellent pay

16. Nuclear Pharmacy Elective
 Site visits
 Nuclear Pharmacy
 Hospital Pharmacy
 PET NET
 Independent learning
 Interesting topic

17. Questions