Packaging
Syringes and vials in new quality dimension: Gerresheimer provides information about PharmaPlus
Tuesday 10. November 2009 - AAPS Annual Meeting in Los Angeles, California/USA, November 9 - 11, 2009
Insights into highly advanced production processes given by a film – New synergies in combination
of glass and plastic
It ranks among the most prestigious specialist events in the pharmaceutical world: the Annual Meeting of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) is being held in Los Angeles/California on November 9 – 11, 2009. Across the field of drug delivery the Gerresheimer Group focuses here this time on glass in particular. With new glass qualities in the limelight its presentation once again promises to be of great interest: syringe systems, cartridges, vials – a multi¬faceted spectrum of forms from Gerresheimer profits from pioneering Pharma¬Plus production technologies. In other regards as well the product portfolio, which ranges right through to COP plastic bottles and inhaler systems, shows itself to be highly innovative (Booth 2624).
“Our process and product developers have worked together to create an outstanding product class,” says Burkhard Lingenberg, Director of Marketing and Communication for the Gerres¬heimer Group: “With PharmaPlus we will be able to meet further growth in the demands from pharmaceutics and biotechnology for the highest glass quality tomorrow as well as we can today”. The key to this is forming processes in previously unattained precision: in Los Angeles Gerresheimer presents them in a short video film which elucidates the technological details taking the example of PharmaPlus syringe production in the German competence centre in Bünde. Congress visitors can expect a very interesting documen¬tary, which can also be accessed on the Internet at http://www.gerresheimer.com/pharmaplusquality.
The new production line on which prefabricated borosilicate tubes are transformed into PharmaPlus syringe barrels combines a unique series of advanced process steps. A paten¬ted process cuts the tubes extremely smoothly and precisely, ionized compressed air removes the tiniest particles, new-type precision tools form the syringe cone and finger flange. Advanced pick and place technology minimizes contacts of the glass with metal while servomotor-controlled feed systems take it to the individual forming stations. With a new plant design and optimized temperature profiles the cooling process offers perfect surface treatment before the syringes pass directly into the clean room through a protected transportation route. Optical inspection by camera constantly checks on dimensions and cosmetic imperfections. In addition, all critical process para¬meters are digitally recorded so that the manufacturing process is reproducible at any time.
At the AAPS Meeting, Gerresheimer presents sterile RTF (Ready-to-Fill) systems which are state of the art in every regard. Baked-On RTF providing fixed siliconisation on the inside can significantly increase the stability of even sensitive biopharmaceutics in the syringe. Laser coding in a tiny ID matrix field on the finger flange helps to prevent mistakes and provides clear information about the nature and origin of the product. Heat transfer printing structures the wealth of printed information through color differentiation of calibrations, product instructions, barcodes and corporate logos. Intelligent plastic accessories such as for example the Rigid Needle Shield TERNS, the Tamper Evident Luerlock Closure TELC or the Back¬stop with an enlarged finger flange offer safety and convenience for patients and medical staff in handling the syringe.
To a large extent, these innovations also characterize the widely diversified range of glass packaging exhibited by the Groups US subsidiary Gerresheimer Inc. in Los Angeles: the technology transfer between the widely varied pharma worlds of the Group in Europe, America and Asia functions well. In the case of vials and cartridges for example, the PharmaPlus category also has an outstandingly important place – its production processes reflect the principle of syringe production. In both cases multi¬color printing by heat transfer also proves useful. The consistently high-quality product ranges made of tubular and molded glass furthermore cover everything from ampoules of filigree design perfection through to syrup bottles and technical chemical glassware. As a global market leader Gerresheimer meets the packaging wishes of the pharma and life-science industry across a spectrum of unparalleled diversity.
In practically all segments of pharma packaging and drug delivery the Group has developed into a highly specialized full service provider – with ever decreasing dependence on external suppliers. “Particularly in the field of pharmaceutics the trend towards single source supply is increasing for good reasons,” Lingenberg confirms. Many synergies in the portfolio extend today beyond the borders of material worlds. So even the predominantly glass-oriented presen¬tation in Los Angeles reminds us that Gerresheimer has also for some time enjoyed a reputation as a top address in the plastics sector.
A wide bridge of this type is being built by the Plastic Packaging business. Currently it is developing flexibly usable PP28 caps and dosing cups which fit numerous molded-glass bottles and vials just as perfectly as they fit a wide range of plastic packaging. In this large field Gerresheimer has in the past profited particularly in Europe and South America from smart packaging solutions for liquid and solid medicines – specific closure and dosing systems play an impor¬tant role here.
The combined glass and plastic competence also bears fruit in demanding system categories. The Group is for example one of the few suppliers worldwide which is able to supply pen systems if required with its own perfectly matched glass and plastic components from a single source. Complex systems like these are part of the product spectrum of Gerresheimer Medical Plastic Systems – a highly innovative full service supplier in the individual customer project business which has been firmly established in the USA as well for a considerable time and is developing continuously. In the direct vicinity of its production facility in Peachtree City (Georgia), where for example inhalers and reactive cards for micro¬biological tests are created, Gerresheimer opened a new Technical Competence Center for medical plastic systems just in September.