Medical oxygen: quality assurance and quality control practices for safe and effective application

Medicinal oxygen (MOX) is an essential medicine listed on the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) List of Essential Medicines for acutely ill individuals and for people with chronic diseases resulting in hypoxemia. Safe administration of MOX implies that internationally recognized quality standards are followed from production to final use at the medical facilities. The aim of this article is to present an overview of some of the most important quality assurance practices for production, storage and transportation of MOX to medical facilities as well as to patients, and the pharmacopeial requirements for the quality of this medicinal product. Strict regulations and requirements are set by the European Pharmacopoeia (Ph. Eur) and by the United States Pharmacopoeia (USP), organizations that specify MOX purity in order to meet highest healthcare standards and to ensure that patients receive high quality product free of harmful impurities.