The University of Tennessee Health Science Center’s Plough Center for Sterile Drug Delivery Solutions is meeting the need to supply a high-demand item during the coronavirus pandemic – hand sanitizer.
Production of the hand sanitizers began this week in the facility in the Medical District.
Since the start of the pandemic, hand sanitizer has been in severe short supply globally.
“We have a responsibility to bring all our resources to bear in fighting the spread of COVID-19,” said Kennard Brown, JD, MPA, PhD, FACHE, executive vice chancellor and chief operations officer for UTHSC.
Dr. Brown, who has overall responsibility for the operations of the Plough Center for Sterile Drug Delivery Solutions, says the Plough Center’s production of a once-taken-for-granted commodity is now critical in mitigating the spread of COVID-19. Hand hygiene for infection prevention is an important part of the U.S. response to the international emergence of COVID-19.
The UTHSC Plough Center for Sterile Drug Delivery Solutions, a facility for manufacturing sterile finished pharmaceutical dosage forms compliant with FDA protocols and procedures, is well equipped to produce high-quality hand sanitizers for the community in moderate scale. “It is very crucial and a priceless task to do whatever we can to save patients and help our community,” said Harry Kochat, PhD, director of the Plough Center.
The hand sanitizer will be available in individual bottles and packed carton containers containing up to 16 bottles. Initial distribution of the hand sanitizer will go to critical need entities in the community, including the COVID-19 testing site at Tiger Lane, University Health Services, and the College of Dentistry emergency dental clinic, as well as first responders, university clinical faculty, and medical staff of partner hospitals.