Drug storage requires strict adherence to safety, stability, and compliance requirements; therefore, selecting the appropriate shelving type is crucial. The following are common shelving solutions and key considerations designed for drug characteristics:

I. Core Principles
✅ Temperature and humidity control (most drugs require protection from light/constant temperature)
✅ Contamination prevention and isolation (protection from dust and microorganisms)
✅ First-in, first-out management (FIFO principle to avoid expiration and waste)
✅ Traceability labeling (batch number/expiration date clearly visible)
✅ Load-bearing capacity (significant difference between full-box and loose packaging)

II. Main Shelving Types and Application Scenarios
🏥 1. Heavy-duty pallet racking
- Applicable scenarios: Bulk raw materials, finished product pallets (e.g., hospital central pharmacy, logistics center).
- Advantages: Single-layer load capacity up to several tons, efficient operation with forklifts; wide aisles facilitate mechanical handling.
- Design points: Add moisture-proof pads to the bottom, leave ventilation gaps at the top; use RFID tags for automated inventory counting.
- *Typical applications*: GMP workshop intermediate product storage area, vaccine cold chain transfer hub.

💊 2. Medium-duty adjustable shelving
- Applicable scenarios: Outpatient pharmacies, over-the-counter drug display areas in retail pharmacies.
- Features: Adjustable height per layer (recommended ≥30cm), supports flexible separation of different dosage forms (tablets/capsules/oral liquids); color-coded labels can be affixed to the back panel.
- Innovative configuration: Built-in LED lighting improves visual identification, acrylic dust covers added to the sides.
- *Compliance case*: Community health service centers display drugs by pharmacological action, complying with Article 24 of the "Prescription Management Measures" regarding the separate placement of oral and external use drugs.

🧪 3. Flow-through gravity rack
- Applicable scenarios: Emergency department high-frequency use of emergency drugs (epinephrine, dexamethasone, etc.).
- Working principle: Using an inclined angle to allow goods to automatically slide to the pick-up end, ensuring that the latest batch is prioritized.
- Performance parameters: Track inclination angle controlled between 5°~8°, roller spacing accuracy ±1mm to ensure smooth flow.
- *Efficiency data*: A tertiary hospital's measurements show that this solution can reduce emergency response time by 40%.

🔬 4. Cantilever racks
- Special use: Storing long medical devices and accompanying reagents (such as dialysis fluid tubing sets).
- Structural advantages: No column obstruction, suitable for irregularly shaped packaging exceeding 1 meter in length; stainless steel material meets cleanroom standards.
- *Industry practice*: Used by in-vitro diagnostic reagent manufacturers to store ROCHE Cobas series test cassettes.

❄️ 5. Constant temperature and humidity integrated system
- Technical indicators: Temperature fluctuation ≤±2℃, relative humidity maintained within 35%~75%RH.
- Component composition: Double-layer hollow glass door + silicone rubber sealing strip, internal configuration of multi-channel temperature and humidity sensors with interlocked alarm device.
- *Certification requirements*: Must pass ISO 14644 cleanroom cleanliness level testing, suitable for monoclonal antibody biopharmaceutical preservation.

III. Special Category Solutions
| Drug Type | Recommended Solution | Key Parameters |
||-||
| Narcotics and psychotropics | Double-lock safe + biometric access control | ASTM F1269 anti-theft grade standard |
| Cytotoxic drugs | Negative pressure exhaust safety cabinet | Face velocity ≥0.5m/s |
| Blood products | -20℃ ultra-low temperature cold storage shelving | Daily defrosting cycle automatically recorded |
| Radioactive drugs | Lead shielding protective chamber | Pb equivalent ≥5mm |

IV. Digital Upgrade Trends
🔹 Intelligent sensing layer: Embed weight sensors in each shelf to monitor inventory changes in real time and trigger replenishment warnings.
🔹 Dynamic scheduling system: Based on HIS hospital information system data to predict peak usage, automatically adjust the placement of popular drugs to the golden picking area (eye level height ±15cm range).
🔹 AR-assisted picking: 3D navigation guidance via Hololens reduces human error rate to less than three parts per million.

V. Implementation Suggestions
1️⃣ Conduct FMEA failure mode analysis: Focus on assessing risks of light degradation (e.g., nitroglycerin injection requires brown light-resistant bottles), potential hazards such as cross-contamination, etc.
2️⃣ Simulation and verification: Use AutoCAD to simulate cargo space planning to ensure that the emergency vehicle passage width ≥1200mm and that the fire evacuation passageways comply with NFPA standards.
3️⃣ Continuous improvement mechanism: Establish a quarterly shelf utilization rate audit system and use the ABC classification method to optimize the storage space of slow-moving goods.

Reference regulatory basis: Article 62 of the "Good Supply Practice for Pharmaceutical Products" (GSP) stipulates: "The storage of pharmaceuticals shall implement color-coded management... Qualified pharmaceutical warehouses (areas) shall be green." During actual deployment, the main body of the shelves in the qualified product area should be painted dark green to meet regulatory requirements.