Tips for cleanroom construction and renovation.

The installation or renovation of a cleanroom is an increasing priority among compounders who, to offer sterile preparations, must comply with the most recent version of United States Pharmacopeia revised General Chapter 797 guidelines. To upgrade their pharmacy facilites, many compounders have worked successfully with a large-scale mechanical engineering firm or a specialized construction company dedicated to cleanroom installation. However, a qualified local mechanical contractor with design capability is a valuable and often overlooked resource for the construction of customized stae-of-the-art cleanrooms. In this report, we describe the installation of such a facility in a busy pharmacy and suggest ways in which compounding pharmacists can identify competent local contractors and control the cost of construction and upgrades. The addition of a cleanroom has enabled The Compounding Pharmacy in Hickory, North Carolina, to achieve accreditation from the Pharmacy Compounding Accreditation Board.