Spring 1999 Pharmacal FactSheet
Index: 

Historical Perspectives

      The year was 1962.  Jerry Shapiro and Jac Cohen began a new business venture - supplying veterinarians with feed and ancillary products for use in their offices and hospitals.  Within a short time, phone calls began to come in requesting a product to clean and disinfect stationary and portable cages.  It had to be animal safe, completely non-corrosive, and must not leave any “disinfectant” odor.  After many phone calls and tinkering, the original Quatricide formula was born.  People still remember and love that pink color and fresh scent. 
     In the early 1980’s, the first employee, Bernie Cohen a chemist/salesman, was hired.  He traveled throughout the entire northeast - from Washington DC through Pennsylvania, New York, Boston and on up to Canada, demonstrating products and establishing the company’s reputation.  By that time, they had expanded their product line to include alkaline detergents and acidic urine-scale removers.  A seasoned IBM electrical engineer was contracted to design and build the conductivity monitoring and chemical delivery system that have proven to be so very stable that they are still in use today.  Pharmacal has a strong presence in all of North America, with occasional shipments worldwide.  There are 14 individuals in sales and service.  The manufacturing and mixing facilities are in Naugatuck, Connecticut, with warehouse storage of finished goods in major distribution points around the USA.  Most of the sales force has been with Pharmacal in excess of 10 years, and two are AALAS certified at the Technologist level.  As a small and vibrant company, Pharmacal has been quickly responsive to the always-changing needs of the animal care industry.  Pharmacal is the first in the industry to remove and recycle empty 30 and 55-gallon drums that are “too good to throw away.” 
     A new division has recently been formed for the quickly growing field of aquatic research.  A degreed division manager is leading the challenge to provide superior, high density, aesthetically pleasing housing for Zebra fish and other aquatics.  The response to this new product at the Cincinnati AALAS show was “overwhelming,” said sales manager Ken Shapiro.  Pharmacal Research Laboratories is dedicated to producing the highest quality products and services. This is evident in our Research and Development and Quality Assurance commitments. 
     Pharmacal has always had an “open door” policy for our customers. If you are ever in the Naugatuck valley area of Connecticut, consider visiting the manufacturing plant. And if you have any questions, problems, or special needs, call us and let us help you find a solution that will work today and tomorrow. 
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    Low Temperature Sanitation  

     HYPOCHLOR® Can Help 
         Many times, we have been asked if there was a safe and effective way to sanitize caging and equipment in automatic washers when hot (180 degree F.) water is not always available or dependable.  Yes, we have a product (Hypochlor®) that may assist you when sanitizing caging and equipment. This product is mechanically injected  into the rinse cycle.  As with most complex questions there are no easy answers. 
         Here are some points to consider: 
    1. Is your washer functioning as designed?  In order for any chemical product to work safely, the washer must drain and fill properly between cycles.  If this is not the case, there might be too large a residual bio-load migrating from the wash cycle.  As a matter-of-fact, the vast majority of our emergency service calls are due to a washer malfunction. 
    2. Are the items in the washer stainless, aluminum, glass or plastic? A chemical product containing sodium hypochlorite will be detrimental to galvanized, raw steel or chrome plated items.  A good rule to follow is that if it can be washed with acid, then it is safe with Hypochlor®. 
    3. Is the exhaust system operational?  There will be some “chlorine odor” associated with this system.  The exhaust should be able to prevent any odors from escaping into the adjacent room. 
         The effective use of a product such as Hypochlor® in such circumstances should always be verified with Rodac® plates. 
     
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    RODAC Updates

    RODAC® Plates for Microbial Monitoring 
         RODAC stands for Replicate Organism Detection And Counting. They are recommended for detection of microorganisms on hard non-porous surfaces to help monitor sanitation levels. These are surface contact plates that contain Trypticase Soy Agar and Polysorbate 80. Our new plates contain slightly more agar that will help prevent breaking. They are used in the same way and require the same procedures as our old plates. Identification of organisms is possible when there is a sanitation problem. 

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    Product Updates

     PHARMA-CLENZ® Hand & Body Lotion has been discontinued. 

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    Y2K

    Y2K Compliance 
         Please be assured that Pharmacal has taken the appropriate actions necessary to insure that our operations are not negatively affected by the year 2000 date change. We have upgraded our computer hardware and are currently implementing additional software that is certified for compliance. We have also received certification from our suppliers. We are doing everything possible to ensure that our business is unaffected. 

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    Expanded Website

         Ken Shapiro, Pharmacal’s Sales Manager, has announced some changes to the Pharmacal Web Page (www.pharmacal.com). Tammy Marrotta is redesigning the web page to reflect our new Material Safety Data Sheets, and to include our Aquatics Division. Also of interest are the back issues of our Pharmacal FactSheet which can be down loaded for later reading. 
         We will also be updating our web page in house as needed. New product information and digital photographs of our  Aquatic division equipment will be offered on the web page. If you have not visited our site in awhile, don’t be a stranger. Log on! 

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    Safety 

     Safety The Only Way 
         Pharmacal responds to the changing needs of our customers. We are dedicated to providing the highest standards possible. Safety is our top priority. We have produced our Sanitation video which has a strong emphasis on safe handling of chemicals.  We offer safety seminars, taught by our experienced area representatives, at your site and directly aimed at personnel safety and chemical handling issues.  Pharmacal has written pamphlets and booklets which are available at no charge for your safety in-house training sessions (these include our Sanitation Manual and tri-folds on General Safety, Hygiene, Handling Sanitation Chemicals, and Disinfection Chemicals).  Many facilities find that a yearly “refresher” course on sanitation and chemical safety training is an excellent use of 45 minutes of employee time.  So even if you have had a Pharmacal representative give a safety course in previous years, it might be a good idea to have that representative come in and reiterate those safety points again. 
         If you are interested in safety training or in our printed or video programs, please contact your Pharmacal representative or call us at 1-800-243-5350. 

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    QUATRICIDE® TB

     Pharmacal Research Laboratories reminds our customers that we now offer Quatricide-TB® , a  tuberculocidal quaternary ammonium product.  Quatricide-TB® will inactivate tuberculosis (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) bacilli within ten minutes.  Quatricide-TB® is patented and registered formula which contains fifth generation quaternary ammonium and carries enveloped and non-enveloped virucidal and tuberculocidal claims. It does not contain alcohols as a part of its composition. Quatricide-TB® is available in ready-to-use (no dilution necessary) 32 ounce spray bottles, as well as 1-gallon, 5-gallon, 30-gallon and 55-gallon containers. 

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