Good practice advice
Our good practice advice will help you understand the area and prevent problems occurring.
Understanding why temperature management is important for medicines storage
Temperature control and monitoring of storage areas to avoid temperature excursions; ensuring medicines are fit for purpose at administration to patients
Monitoring the storage temperature of medicines
Good monitoring systems can help identify problems quickly so that action can be taken promptly to protect the medicines from temperature excursions
Mapping the temperature of medicines storage areas
Temperature mapping is an exercise undertaken to ensure all points in storage area are suitable for keeping temperature sensitive medicines.
Establishing alerts for temperature monitoring systems
Systems that alert staff to an excursion allows for a rapid response and will minimise the time the medicine is outside of its recommended storage conditions
Using temperature sensors in medicines storage areas
Guidance on choosing temperature sensors, recording data from them and requirements for their calibration
Managing temperature excursions
Where temperature excursions occur, follow a defined process to manage and mitigate the effects on medicines
Temperature control whilst transporting medicines
Managing the temperature of medicines during transport (short term storage) is as important as it is during long term storage
Storing medicines at ambient temperatures
Taking steps to control and monitor ambient storage areas ensures that medicines are fit for purpose at the point of administration to patients
Using a refrigerator or freezer to store medicines
Appropriately chosen, well set-up, maintained and monitored fridges and freezers will ensure that medicines are fit for purpose at administration to patients
Advice on COVID-19 vaccines
Maintaining the COVID-19 vaccines cold chain
Correct storage of the vaccine ensures its efficacy and the cold chain must be maintained during storage and transportation
Stability outside the fridge
If you’ve had a temperature excursion for an individual medicine, and nobody else can help, maybe you can find an answer by searching our individual medicines entries on stability outside the fridge.
- Bimekizumab
- Adalimumab
- Triptorelin
- Octocog alfa
- Obinutuzumab
- Infliximab
- Etanercept
- Bevacizumab
- Pegfilgrastim
- Canakinumab
- Sacituzumab govitecan
- Vincristine
- Nitisinone
- Insulin glargine
- Vedolizumab
- Ustekinumab
- Denosumab
- Natalizumab
- Peginterferon beta-1a
- Amikacin
- Fulvestrant
- Abatacept
- Hydrocortisone
- Certolizumab pegol
- Ipilimumab
- Methyl aminolevulinate
- Sirolimus
- Collagenase clostridium histolyticum
- Lanreotide
- Liraglutide
- Ofatumumab
- Brentuximab vedotin
- Aflibercept
- Ranibizumab
- Romiplostim
- Tocilizumab
- Panitumumab
- Oxytocin
- Menotrophin
- Carbetocin
- Eculizumab
- Exenatide
- Desmopressin
- Belimumab
- Atosiban
- Terlipressin
- Hydrocortisone + Miconazole
- Doxorubicin
- Cladribine
- Rituximab
- Calcitonin
- Trastuzumab
- Siltuximab
- Somatropin
- Follitropin alfa
- Idursulfase
- Darbepoetin alfa
- Botulinum A toxin
- Interferon beta-1a
- Daptomycin
- Hepatitis B vaccine
- Meningococcal group B vaccine
- Human papillomavirus vaccine
- Golimumab
- Aztreonam
- Cetuximab
- Insulin aspart
- Ergometrine
- Clomethiazole
- Tobramycin
- Insulin degludec + liraglutide
- Topotecan
- Glucagon
- Melphalan
- Mecasermin
- Alfacalcidol
- Alglucosidase alfa
- Laronidase
- Thyrotropin alfa
- Imiglucerase
- Alemtuzumab
- Agalsidase beta
- Risperidone
- Cisatracurium
- Eptifibatide
- Haemophilus influenzae type b + Meningococcal group C vaccine
- Benzoyl peroxide + Clindamycin
- Rotavirus vaccine
- Hepatitis A + B vaccine
- European viper snake venom antiserum
- Pentostatin
- Vinblastine
- Pancuronium
- Epoetin zeta
- Cyclopentolate
- Cholera vaccine
- Crisantaspase
- Doxorubicin liposomal
- Fludrocortisone
- Factor VIII + von Willebrand factor
- Lidocaine + Adrenaline
- Latanoprost + timolol
- Human fibrinogen + human thrombin
- Omalizumab
- Thiotepa
- Dronabinol + Cannabidiol
- Pneumococcal vaccine
- Atracurium
- Tafluprost
- Belatacept
- Ocriplasmin
- Varicella vaccine
- Etoposide
- Proxymetacaine
- Anakinra
- Rasburicase
- Filgrastim
- Velaglucerase alfa
- Methoxy polyethylene glycol-epoetin beta
- Tetracosactide
- Agalsidase alfa
- Epoetin beta
- Epoetin alfa
- Peginterferon alfa-2a
- Aldesleukin
- Temsirolimus
- Basiliximab
- Trabectedin
- Vinorelbine
- Octreotide
- Epirubicin
- Trastuzumab emtansine
- Lidocaine + Hydrocortisone
- Carboprost
- Insulin lispro
- Gemeprost
- Insulin detemir
- Pegvisomant
- Insulin glulisine
- Insulin aspart biphasic
- Argipressin
- Chloramphenicol
- Ergometrine + Oxytocin
- Lopinavir + ritonavir
- Caspofungin
- Chlorambucil
- Anidulafungin
- Temocillin
- Voriconazole
- Beractant
- Phenelzine
- Ascorbic acid + Nicotinamide + Pyridoxine + Riboflavin + Thiamine
- Fosphenytoin
- Fosaprepitant
- Digoxin
- Formoterol
- Beclometasone + formoterol
- Alteplase
- Insulin lispro biphasic
- Insulin isophane biphasic human
- Galsulfase
- Rabies immunoglobulin
- Tetanus immunoglobulin
- Anti-D immunoglobulin
- Hepatitis B immunoglobulin
- Varicella immunoglobulin
- Teriparatide
- Poractant alfa
- High Purity Factor IX
- Bismuth subnitrate + Iodoform
- Suxamethonium
- Moroctocog alfa
- Bleomycin
- Bacillus Calmette-Guerin
- Tetracaine
- Mifamurtide
- Busulfan
- Dornase alfa
- TICE strain Bacillus of Calmette-Guerin
- Herpes zoster (live, attenuated) vaccine
- Yellow fever vaccine
- Diphtheria + Tetanus + Pertussis + Poliomyelitis vaccine
- Diphtheria + Tetanus + Poliomyelitis vaccine
- Hepatitis A vaccine
- Typhoid vaccine
- Measles + Mumps + Rubella vaccine
- Diphtheria + Tetanus + Pertussis + Poliomyelitis + Haemophilus influenzae type B vaccine
- Hepatitis A + Typhoid vaccine
- Insulin isophane porcine
- Diltiazem
- Insulin soluble porcine
- Insulin isophane biphasic porcine
- Amphotericin B
- Cinchocaine + Hydrocortisone
- Insulin human
- Antithymocyte immunoglobulin (rabbit)
- Insulin isophane human
- Calcium folinate
- Insulin soluble human
- Lorazepam
- Normal immunoglobulin human
- Dinoprostone
- Japanese encephalitis vaccine
- Carglumic acid
- Rabies vaccine
- Haem arginate
- Meningococcal groups A + C + W135 + Y vaccine
- Peginterferon alfa-2b
- Alprostadil
- Levofolinic acid
- Tick-borne encephalitis vaccine
- Chorionic gonadotrophin
- Influenza vaccine
- Asparaginase