Packaging
Strategy in glass and plastic: Gerresheimer develops clever synergy effects for the pharmaceutical industry
Wednesday 14. October 2009 - CPhI worldwide & ICSE, Madrid, October 13 - 15, 2009
Top places in the two worlds of glass and plastic – the Group holds consistently to its course towards single source supply
The opening of the largest production plant in Southern Europe for pharmaceutical plastic packaging, a high-caliber new competence center in the USA for medical plastic systems, precision technologies for tubular glass for syringes and vials, new synergies between glass and plastic: just a few of the themes with which Gerresheimer awaits the public at CPhI worldwide and ICSE 2009 in Madrid. Its latest presentation for the pharma and life-science industry high¬lights injection systems as well as bottles, vials and ampoules against the background of a constantly developing Gerresheimer Group (October 13 to 15, Hall 8, Booth 8B09).
In the two big material worlds the same demanding course is being followed; together they make Gerresheimer a complete supplier on the highest level across the entire field of pharmaceutical primary packaging. In addition to pharma glass, which includes all categories from RTF syringe systems right through to medicine bottles, trade-fair visitors can see highlights across the entire plastic spectrum – from tablet bottles through to drug-delivery systems. In the case of glass, Gerresheimer has of course ranked among the world market leaders for decades; in just a few years the highly specialized company has now also secured coveted top places in the plastics sector in global and regional markets alike and invested particularly heavily in this area. The exhibition reflects the latest chapters in this development.
Plastic in the ascendant
Spain as the host country for the current exhibition event is just what Gerresheimer might have asked for in this regard. Just three weeks ago the Group officially opened its new Masalavés plant in the Valencia region of Spain: a state-of-the-art production center where a wide variety of plastic-based vials and system closures for pharmaceticals such as eye drops, contact-lens care products and nasal sprays are created for the Southern and Central European area. These production operations are the largest of their kind in Southern Europe.
In parallel, Gerresheimer has now commissioned a new research and development center for medical plastic systems in the USA, namely in Peachtree City (Georgia). In the highly innovative project business with customers in the field of pharmaceutics, diagnostics and medical technology, Gerresheimer therefore now has at its disposal complete product and process development possibilities in advance of series production comparable to those which previously existed only in Europe. The business concentrates on complex systems and special components which it conceives and realizes as a full-service supplier in individual customer commissions – including inhalers, cuvettes, reactive cards for microbiological tests or skin-prick aids and lancet magazines for diabetics.
Proprietary closure solutions
Good news also comes from Zaragoza in Spain about pharma plastics. Here Gerresheimer is now for the first time producing its own closure solutions for the global market of pharmaceutical glass bottles. The plant, well known throughout Europe for PE and PET bottles, has just expanded its range substantially and now manu¬factures tamper-evident closures in house instead of buying them in. Its wide plastic range has advanced through this step to become an original system range. And the cleverly designed caps and cups are suitable not only for numerous PE and PET products but provide an equally perfect fit with the molded-glass bottles and vials in the Groups standard range.
Synergy is the strategy in development of the product portfolio, says Burkhard Lingenberg, Director of Marketing and Communication for the Gerresheimer Group: customers and markets profit from this. “All our competence areas work in the end effect with the same orientation, exchange know-how, progress joint projects,” he explains: “This speeds up innovation and allows us to serve our customers faster and more comprehensively than ever from a single source.”
Solutions across the field of injections
This intention has also been rapidly pushed forward in the multi¬faceted range of drug delivery systems. These include pen systems, a particularly interesting example of product synergy under the Gerresheimer umbrella. Here the functional system consists of plastic while the tailor-made cartridge is made of tubular glass: to achieve this, two advanced competence areas pooled their know-how. Particularly in the field of injections Gerresheimer has a long-standing reputation as a technology leader.
The presentation of RTF syringe systems highlights this once more in Madrid. The fact that syringes in this premium category are deli¬vered to the pharma industry sterile and otherwise ready to fill in all regards has already substantially changed the market. Innovation in this highly advanced field which to date is limited to a small number of suppliers is closely oriented towards constantly differentiated requirements and needs.
Compatibility with sensitive biopharmaceutics, effective track-and-trace solutions for product identification, safety and convenience in application – key themes like these are the central focus for Gerresheimer Bünde. The baked-on siliconisation process patented as Baked-On RTF will certainly interest visitors to the trade fair, as will laser coding for product identification, multicolor printing directly on the syringe by means of heat transfer, and intelligent accessories for injection practice such as for example the Rigid Needle Shield (TERNS) or the Tamper Evident Luerloc Closure (TELC). In addition to the prominent, widely diversified RTF range of all-glass syringes, Gerresheimer today offers, under its own umbrella brand Clearject, plastic systems made of COP (Cyclic Olefin Polymer) which have specific advantages in the demanding field of cytostatics and biopharmaceutics.
New technologies
Innovative developments for the glass syringe business also have an impact on other product areas in a variety of ways. Multicolor printing can for example also be used on cartridges, ampoules and vials, partly with laser coding as well, making it possible to trace the type and origin of medicines at any time and helping to avoid confusion and mistakes. Yet another progressive step benefits all product segments in the case of tubular glass: PharmaPlus technol¬ogy. It starts with the production of borosilicate glass tubes, which Gerresheimer manufactures itself as an intermediary product, and ensures a previously unknown level of precision. The advanced variant for forming processes has produced the PharmaPlus range as a new premium category for vials in particular.
In addition, the wide range of special bottles, vials and jars made of molded glass covers all remaining requirement areas: here again consistently with the highest quality, practically every relevant shape and size variant and additionally the glass classes I, II and III – in other words all material types which can be considered here for pharma packaging. As in the case of tubular glass, Gerresheimer offers widely varied options in this sector for superior surface treatment and finishing.
Experts from all divisions
The important exhibition event in Madrid will be attended by experts representing all the Groups divisions and many of the more than forty plants which Gerresheimer operates today in Europe, America and China. For pharmacists and medical practitioners it will doubtless provide a welcome opportunity to obtain a condensed overview of the status of technology across the entire, enormously diverse field of pharmaceutical primary packaging and application systems. With increasing complexity in this field, there is certainly a steadily rising demand for comprehensive information and detailed communication: this is shown by the resounding success of Gerresheimer Pharma Days, the latest of which took place just recently in Moscow.