The UB makes hydroalcoholic solution on a large scale for health centers
The University of Barcelona, through its Centre for Research and Production of Experimental Medicines, Farmatec UB, joins the campaign against COVID-19 by making and packing, in its facilities, hydroalcoholic solution to sanitize hands, following the recommended formula by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The University of Barcelona, through its Centre for Research and Production of Experimental Medicines, Farmatec UB, joins the campaign against COVID-19 by making and packing, in its facilities, hydroalcoholic solution to sanitize hands, following the recommended formula by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The average production is of 300 litres per day in 50-litre packs, which includes its fabrication, filling or primary conditioning, tagging and secondary conditioning. At the moment, 1,5000 litres are being distributed per week.
Since this initiative started, on March 26, 1,337.5 litres out of the 5,000 the Hospital Clinic required have been delivered. Hospital Clínic was the first center to ask for it, and is the one providing resources and the necessary packaging to make the products.
The production is being carried out by twenty-two volunteers, members of the teaching staff, the administrative and service staff, and researchers from Bosch i Gimpera Foundation. The work is carried out in the units of Farmatec UB, in the Bellvitge Campus, and at the Service of Development of Medicines (SDM), located in the Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences, under the scientific supervision of Professor Josep M. Suñé Negre.
The facilities of Farmatec UB have opened only for the health alert situation in order tovmake some pharmaceutical products demanded by health centers. Hydroalcoholic solution used as hand sanitizer is considered a cosmetic product and the UB can manufacture it after having submitted, given the RD 85/2020, its corresponding responsible declaration for the manufacturing activities to AEMPS.
The production of this product is being carried out in white rooms following the rules of good manufacturing practice (GMP), which involve the training of its staff, cleaning of facilities and equipment, manufacturing and packaging controls and documentation of all processes to allow its total tracking. The Services of Quality Control in SDM are in charge of the certificate of analysis (CoA) for these processes. All security measures for the staff have been taken as well.
3D printed visors
The UB community intensifies its support to fight the coronavirus with more actions, initiatives and collaborations to support the hospitals, which are an important part of the university field.
The Unit of Biophysics and Bioengineering of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences gave Hospital Cínic the first pack of twenty protecting visors with 3D Printer to help protect the Health professionals working at the frontline of this crisis. The UB has 16 3D printers, from the faculties of Medicine and Health Sciences, Chemistry, Physics and Fine Arts, and the Institute of Cosmos Sciences, which will support the production of visors and other health material. Moreover, researchers from the UB, together with Hospital Clínic de Barcelona and the Germans Trias i Pujol Hospital, are giving scientific support to the creation of equipment that enable the ventilation of patients in case there is a lack of conventional ventilators.
Increase in donations
Donations have increased over these weeks. The UB group has provided about 438,000 gloves, 32,550 masks, 773 hospital gowns, 13,200 booties and 10,000 caps, apart from personal protection equipment, laboratory glasses and other health material. Several hospitals have received this material (Hospital Clínic, University Bellvitge Hospital, Can Ruti and Hospital de Mollet) from the campuses of the faculties of Medicine and Health Sciences, Pharmacy and Food Sciences, and the faculties of Biology, Chemistry, Psychology and the Science and Technological Centers, the Barcelona Science Park and the Josep Finestres Foundation.
Six ventilators from the Science and Technological Centers (four) and the Nursing School (one) have been ceded to the Bellvitge Hospital, and one more from IL3 to Hospital de Mollet. These join the sixteen beds and defibrillator that were sent last week from the Nursing School to the Bellvitge Hospital.
Moreover, the Beijing Foreign Studies University, partner of the Barcelona Confucius Institute, which collaborates with the UB, donated 500 masks to the UB to be distributed through the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences.
A volunteering model
Regarding volunteering tasks, the university community is responding to the calls from the different centers. About 500 students from last year in Medicine and Nursing offered to collaborate with the Department of Health. In addition, the Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences published a collaboration call for students so they can bring medicines from the pharmacy to those who cannot leave their house.