Pharmacy and drug forms

Bacteriostatic water

Where a compounded drug parts company with an FDA-approved one, where 503A parts company with 503B, and which accreditation programs tell them apart.

Definition

Sterile water containing 0.9% benzyl alcohol as a preservative, used to reconstitute lyophilized powder into an injectable solution. The alcohol is what allows a vial to be entered more than once. ⚠ If you are being asked to mix your own medication, you are being handed a compounding step — and the concentration you end up with depends on how much water you add.

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GLP Watchdog writes these definitions from FDA labels and peer-reviewed PubMed literature. Not one of them is an AI-generated summary.

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