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Separated by a quick-release seal, the drug and diluent contained in the Duplex package can be mixed without requiring additional vials or attachments.

FDA has approved CeFOXItin for injection in the ready-to-use IV-drug-delivery system, Duplex. The Duplex system consists of a prefilled latex-free and PVC/DEHP-free IV bag featuring different chambers for drug and diluent. Separated by a quick-release seal, the drug and diluent can be mixed without the need for additional vials or attachments. Prior to activation, the package can be stored at room temperature for up to 18 months and does not require thawing. B. Braun Medical Inc. (Bethlehem, PA) introduced Duplex in 2002 and now offers several drugs in the system. According to B. Braun, Duplex is now the only ready-to-use IV-drug-delivery system available for CeFOXItin therapy in the United States.

“Duplex provides hospitals with a premium drug-delivery system for CeFOXItin, allowing continued use of this effective antibiotic therapy despite recent market changes,” said Rick Williamson, director of marketing, drug delivery, B. Braun Medical Inc. (According to Williamson, Baxter Healthcare has discontinued frozen Mefoxin (cefoxitin for injection).

B. Braun Medical designed the prefilled Duplex system to ease pharmacist and caregiver workload and to help reduce potential medication dispensing errors. According to the company, Duplex helps clinicians comply with Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) and USP <797> Guidelines that specify medicines should be dispensed in their “most ready-to-use form.”

“The self-contained, ready-to-use formula saves valuable time by eliminating the need for mixing vials or thawing a frozen solution,” said James Abberton, MS, RPh, director of pharmacy, Long Island Jewish Medical Center (Long Island, NY). “Our nursing staff has also found Duplex to be a well-organized and intuitive system that is simple to use, which therefore enhances patient safety by reducing the potential for medication dosing errors.”

Duplex also features a bar code system that references the final admixture and can be used to reduce medication errors, automate patient records, track inventory, and facilitate reimbursement.

B. Braun now offers a broad spectrum of intravenous cephalosporin antibiotic therapies for hospitals, covering the first three generations of cephalosporins: Cefazolin, CeFOXItin, CefuROXIme, and CefTRIaxONE. CeFOXItin in the Duplex system will be available in July 2006.