A New Journal in the Field of Pharmaceutical Technology Is Born

Launching a new journal is always an adventure. There are so many tasks, so many people to convince from the publisher to the authors. After many discussions at the GERPAC’s meetings every year in the south of France, we decided that the game was worth the candle. In fact, few journals are dedicated to the field of Pharmaceutical Technology in Hospitals. Very often the scopes of the scientific journals are wider and it is difficult for authors to communicate over much focused technical questions in those papers. This is why Pharmaceutical Technology in Hospital Pharmacy (PTHP) was launched. We are committed to produce a high-quality scientific international journal because our profession really needs it. This journal will be dedicated to all angles of pharmaceutical technologies in hospitals from sterile compounding to electronic devices related to drug production or distribution. Sterilization and radiopharmacy are also considered in this new journal. Detailed aims and scope are provided in this issue along with the instructions to authors. The editorial board of the journal gather hospital pharmacists and scientific researchers all having a strong background in applied research and scientific publishing, holding also a PhD and being for most of them professors of pharmaceutical technology in Universities from European and extra European Universities.

This first issue is a good example of the different subjects that fall under the scope of our new journal. The first paper is from the team of Irene Krämer, University Medical Center Mainz, Germany. The objective of the paper is to study the ability of hospital pathogens to grow in ready-to-use non-cytotoxic parenteral products. The authors show that no growth inhibition is induced by most of the tested preparations. However, some excipients such as glucose 50 % had an impact on bacterial growth. This research is important to consider in stability studies especially microbiological stability. The second paper is from the team of Philippe Bourget from Necker Hospital in Paris, France. The authors describe in this article the design of a novel device proposed to minimize the musculoskeletal disorders. This original work opens the field of specific devices designed to optimize the work of technicians in Hospital Pharmacies. The third paper of this issue describes the qualification of dosing pumps for the production of mixed infusions. This work is a good example of state-of-the-art procedures for validating the performance of devices used in the production of injectable drugs in hospitals. In this field, performance qualification is mandatory in order to ensure safety and efficacy. In this issue, you will also read an interesting study by the team of Jean-François Bussières from Sainte Justine Hospital in Montreal, Canada. In this article they explain their methods to develop an electronic medication administration record as it is now well established in the USA. This tool is not very common in Europe and we hope that our readership will be inspired to implement such records in their hospital. In fact, this is very useful to enhance the monitoring of the medication circuit. Finally our first issue ends on a work that describes how 3D simulation can be used to train professionals for activities in cleanrooms. We all know that well followed working procedures in cleanrooms are one of the keypoints to secure the preparation of sterile drugs. This work authored by Maria Denami, from LISEC (laboratory for educational and communication sciences) in Strasbourg, France, describes the development of this new tool and then the scientific protocol designed to test the efficiency of the simulator. This futuristic work ends our first issue of PTHP. We really hope that you will learn a lot while reading it. We are also waiting for numerous high-quality contributions that will make this journal a respected and useful media in the field of pharmaceutical technology in hospitals.