CORE--PHARMACOLOGY

Mayo Clinic Rochester, Rochester MN

Investigators

Linked publications, trials & patents

Abstract

The Mayo Clinic Cancer Center Pharmacy Shared Resource provides comprehensive pharmacy services in support of approximately 200 active cancer clinical trials across the 3 campuses of Mayo Rochester, Mayo Jacksonville, and Mayo Sccttsdale. The Pharmacy Shared Resource provides procurement, storage, and accountability of investigational agents. In addition, admixture of cytotoxic chemotherapy, growth factors, immunomodulatory agents, antiemetics, and supportive care medication is provided. The services of the Pharmacy Shared Resource are essential for protocol development, protocol initiation, and patient treatment on clinical trials throughout the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center. Special expertise with both investigational and commercially available cancer therapeutic agents resides in the Cancer Center Pharmacy Shared Resource, ensuring a uniformly high standard of safe and accurate treatment for all Mayo Clinic cancer patients. The utilization of the Pharmacy Shared Resource has increased over the past five years as noted by the number of patients treated on clinic trials. In 2002 the number of patients treated on clinical trials at the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center that utilized the Pharmacy Shared Resource was 1549, compared to 573 in 1997. This increase was due to the steady increase in patient accrual and the integration of Mayo Clinic Jacksonville and Mayo Clinic Scottsdale. The increased utilization of the Pharmacy Shared Resource is also demonstrated by an increased number of Mayo Clinic Cancer Center members utilizing the services of the Pharmacy core as well as the increased number of protocols in development. The main mission of the Pharmacy Shared Resource is to provide protocol development and review, investigational drug accountability, and chemotherapy admixture and dispensing services. The implementation of policies and procedures consistent with American Society of Health Systems Pharmacy guidelines and Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations recommendations at each site ensures regulatory compliance and provides a uniform level of safe, high quality care to all Mayo Clinic Cancer Center patients.