Cold-Safe Locking Refrigerator Storage Box

EPS Inc (Ivyland, Pa) recently expanded its line of storage and transport items. The Cold-Safe Locking Refrigerator Storage Box has been designed to provide security and convenience for medications and products requiring refrigeration and protection. The product allows substances to be kept under key security in an unlocked refrigerator. They are easy to install yet cannot be removed if the boxes are locked. Special slotted mounting holes and brackets are easily adjustable so you can conveniently position the product within virtually any refrigerator. Furthermore, the Cold-Safe Locking Refrigerator Storage Box can be placed under cabinets, counters, utility carts, and more. For more information, visit www.medidose.com, or call 800-523-8966.

Dacogen (decitabine) Injection

MGI PHARMA Inc (Minneapolis, Minn) recently received orphan designation from the FDA for Dacogen for Injection for the indication of acute myeloid leukemia. The product was approved by the FDA on May 2, 2006, for the treatment of patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), including previously treated and untreated de novo and secondary MDS of all French- American-British subtypes (refractory anemia, refractory anemia with ringed sideroblasts, refractory anemia with excess blasts, refractory anemia with excess blasts in transformation, and chronic myelomonocytic leukemia), and Intermediate-1, Intermediate-2, and High-Risk International Prognostic Scoring System groups. The recommended Dacogen dose is 15 mg/m² administered by continuous intravenous infusion over 3 hours, repeated every 8 hours for 3 days. Patients may be premedicated with standard antiemetic therapy. This cycle should be repeated every 6 weeks. It is recommended that patients be treated for a minimum of 4 cycles; however, a complete or partial response may take longer than 4 cycles. Treatment may be continued as long as the patient continues to benefit. Dacogen is supplied as a sterile lyophilized white to almost-white powder, in a single-dose vial, packaged in cartons of 1 vial. Each vial contains 50 mg of decitabine. For more information, visit www.dacogen.com.

Fluconazole MIC Susceptibility Test Card

bioMérieux (Durham, NC) recently received FDA approval for laboratories to perform fluconazole susceptibility tests on the VITEK 2 automated microbiology system. The tests will be used to determine susceptibility of Candida species to this antifungal agent. The Fluconazole Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) Susceptibility test card for the VITEK 2 platform will provide an accurate, rapid, and automated method for susceptibility testing of systemic yeast infections. The current available manual methods for testing the susceptibility of yeasts to antifungal agents can be subjective, difficult to perform, labor-intensive, and expensive. Often the results take several days or weeks to reach physicians. Therefore, many clinicians forgo this testing and treat patients empirically with expensive, broad-spectrum, and/or toxic antifungal agents that may be unnecessary. The VITEK 2 platform allows laboratories to provide physicians with fluconazole susceptibility test information against Candida species within 36 hours. The Fluconazole MIC Susceptibility test card is used in conjunction with the VITEK 2 Yeast Identification card to assist clinicians in the selection of optimal antifungal therapy. For more information, visit www.biomerieux-usa.com.

VISIV

Hospira Inc (Lake Forest, Ill) recently launched the VISIV flexible intravenous (IV) container. The container's advanced technology and patient-and clinician-focused design were developed to assist hospitals in their efforts to improve patient safety, advance caregiver safety and efficiency, and increase environmental responsibility. With a standard flexible IV container, an external over-wrap is used as a moisture barrier. Through its multilayer plastic film, the VISIV container is the first plastic large-volume flexible IV container to require no overwrap. The VISIV container also offers virtually impenetrable port tubes with a greater needle-stick protective area for medication additives. Together, these features help protect caregivers from accidental needle-stick injuries. For hospitals seeking alternatives to containers made of glass or containing di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) or polyvinyl chloride (PVC), the VISIV container is made from DEHP-and PVCfree materials that provide the thermal ability, moisture-barrier properties, and inertness required for IV medications. Visit www.hospira.com, or call 877-9HOSPIRA (877-946-7747) for more information.