In This Section
Are mobile nuclear medicine trucks "exempt" from complying with USP <797> if they use only unit doses supplied by commercial nuclear pharmacies?
Yes, if they administer only the unit dose. If, however, the unit dose is manipulated (e.g., normal saline is added to the syringe to dilute the contents), then USP standards do apply. Note: nearly all such manipulations can likely fall under immediate-use exemption.
USP does not apply to administration. Dilution with normal saline, whether in a vial or in the syringe, is considered compounding under USP . However, this can generally be performed under the immediate-use exemption. Remember that the key components of the immediate-use provisions are the avoidance of touch contamination and administration within 1 hour.