Safety First: Controlling Occupational Exposure In Oncology Drug Development

By Joe Galati, PhD, Sr. Director, Global Toxicology Services, Thermo Fisher Scientific

Due to the advantages in efficacy and safety compared with traditional chemotherapy drugs, targeted therapeutics that zero in on specific parts of cancer cells while sparing normal cells have become mainstream cancer treatments. Delivering on the potential of small molecule oncology therapies requires understanding and embracing safe handling practices and containment technology. It also requires maintaining, continuously assessing, and aligning infrastructure, technology, and the expertise of stakeholders involved in the development process.

As more information becomes available through pre-clinical animal toxicity studies and human clinical trials, novel compounds that were originally classified as highly potent because of the absence of toxicity data may be downgraded if the science supports the change. Discover how classifying exposure limits for a given substance enables manufacturers to identify and implement the best control strategy to protect operators and drug products to reliably and consistently ensure worker and patient safety.