NIOSH has updated their list of antineoplastic and other hazardous drugs, which is included as an appendix to their Preventing Occupational Exposures to Antineoplastic and Other Hazardous Drug in Healthcare Settings Alert.
The Alert was first published in 2004, and has gone through several revisions since then. The 2014 version added 27 drugs, removed 12 drugs, and is organized in a new format. In the new revision, hazardous drugs are categorized into three groups including antineoplastic drugs, non-antineoplastic drugs, and non-antineoplastic drugs with adverse reproductive effects. General handling recommendations, criteria for determining whether a drug is hazardous, and precautions for working with these agents are also covered in the publication.
This update presents the perfect opportunity to review the hazardous drug program implemented at your facility. If you do not currently implement a hazardous drug program, it would be prudent to review the list of hazardous drugs to determine if additional precautions should be considered. The implementation of a hazardous drug program can be complex, with many factors for the safe handling of hazardous drugs taken into consideration.