USP Global Seminar Series: Ensuring Quality Hand Sanitizer Production During COVID-19 for Healthcare Professionals in Africa

Africa HCP banner

Agenda | Event PresentationsUSP Education Videos

Alcohol-based hand sanitizer is an important element in infection prevention, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, when quality is compromised, it can be less effective against infection transmission and can also lead to user harm.

COVID-19-related supply chain pressures have created global shortages that led to new vendors, materials, and production pathways to meet demand. These fast-paced changes have caused an emergence of quality incidents both regionally and globally. Globally, over 200 alcohol-based hand sanitizer quality incidents have been reported in 2020. Specifically, in Africa, approximately 20 alcohol-based hand sanitizer quality incidents were reported in 2020.

On February 25, 2021. USP hosted a Global Seminar, Ensuring Quality Hand Sanitizer Production During COVID-19, to help ensure quality alcohol-based hand sanitizer production and support the safe use of alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

Seminar Topics

Presenters and panelists from USP, regulators, healthcare provider groups, and public health institutions will discuss the global and regional quality risks and solutions when compounding alcohol-based hand sanitizer, including:

  • Global quality challenges and public health impact of alcohol-based hand sanitizers from compounding regulations to clinical perspectives on the frontline treating consequences from subquality products
  • Regional regulatory and public health strategies to increase trust in alcohol-based hand sanitizers
  • Standards and mitigation strategies the compounding, labeling, packaging, storage, transportation, and distribution of alcohol-based hand sanitizer
  • Compounding professionals’ perspectives and best practices from clinical peers’ sharing insights on quality in action

Presenters and Panelists

Regulatory & Industry

  • Mansa Fredua Agyeman, Ph.D., Department of Pharmaceutics and Microbiology, University of Ghana School of Pharmacy
  • James Kimotho, Ph.D., Head of Department, Kenya Medical Research Institute
  • Stanislav Kniazkov, PDR, Technical Officer, Medical Products Regulation | World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa, Medicines, Infrastructure and Medical Equipment Unit, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
  • Theresa M. Michele, M.D., Director of the Office of Nonprescription Drugs (ONPD) in the Office of New Drugs, Center of Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) | U.S. FDA
  • Emmanuel Nkrumah, Head of the Cosmetics and Household Chemical Substances Department, FDA-Ghana
  • Nasser N. M. Nyamweya, Ph.D., School of Pharmacy, University of Nairobi
  • Paul Tanui, Senior Programme Officer – Technical Support | The African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD)

USP

  • Ronald T. Piervincenzi, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer
  • Desmond G. Hunt, Ph.D., Principal Scientific Liaison, Science-General Chapters
  • Brenda Jensen, Compounding Expert Committee Member
  • Brian Serumaga, Ph.D., Senior Manager-Personalized Medicines, Scientific Liaison | USP
  • Misti Spann, Pharm.D, Scientific Liaison | USP
  • Nurisha Wade, M.B.A., Vice President, Healthcare Quality & Safety

Who should attend?

  • Manufacturers with alcohol-based hand sanitizers as part of their production portfolio 
  • Regulatory agencies who support alcohol-based hand sanitizer manufacturers
  • Other interested industry groups

Event Summary

Executive Summary

Event Presentations

01 Why Quality Alcohol-based Hand Sanitizer Matters, Nurisha Wade
02 Current State of Alcohol-based Hand Sanitize - Theresa M. Michele
03 Formulating Quality Alcohol-based Hand Sanitizer - Brian Serumaga
04 Formulating Quality Alcohol-based Hand Sanitizer - Brenda Jensen
05 Ensuring Quality Hand Sanitizer Production - Labeling Compounding - Misti Spann
06 Labeling Packaging and Storage - Desmond Hunt

For further information, please contact Jacqueline D. Starkes.

Teleconference