Biotech quality for injections: Gerresheimer brings the future of the syringe right into the present

Further-refined quality in glass shaping Laser coding as reliable track-and-trace solution

Systems for injections are naturally always of particular importance for the Parenteral Drug Association (PDA). At the PDA Annual Meeting in 2009 in Las Vegas (Nevada/USA) from April 20 to 24 the Gerresheimer Group promises pharmaceutical and medical practitioners strong new impetus in this area: in addition to RTF^® sterile syringes, it focuses on new biotech quality in glass shaping. Laser coding, baked-on RTF™ and perfection in accessories as well complete the picture of the ready-to-fill syringe of the future (Stand 507).

In the syringe center at Gerresheimer Bünde the start-up button was pressed for the biotech production line just at the beginning of the year. "Qualitatively this production facility offers the ne plus ultra for shaping glass syringe bodies," says Burkhard Lingenberg, Director of Marketing and Communication for the globally active Group: factors such as geometry, firmness and particle freedom play a key role. The new technology for glass shaping is not however the only innovative development offered by Gerresheimer especially for the globally growing market of biopharmaceutics. Participants in Las Vegas can for example inform themselves about baked-on siliconisation patented in the USA and Europe as Baked-On RTF™: through this process the silicon oil which has been well proven over many years as a glide agent for the syringe plunger is fixed to the glass wall, thereby largely excluding the possibility of interactions with sensitive biotech substances and significantly increasing the stability of the medication in the syringe.

Quite differently motivated but nevertheless very important progress in the area of product safety is documented by a millimeter-square data-matrix field on the finger flange of the syringe. Laser coding is the keyword; through a new type of in-depth labeling by laser beam Gerresheimer deposits the individual product ID in the tiny square which can be read by scanners in clinics and pharmacies for example, so that the origin of a syringe can be traced at any time. This can prevent mistakes but above all provides a very reliable track-and-trace solution and contributes to the prevention of product piracy. Ideal labeling possibilities are additionally opened up by multicolor printing directly on the syringe. In heat transfer printing Gerresheimer has found an interesting method which not only allows multicolor brand logos to be printed on the glass completely true to the original: product information, calibrations and barcodes can also be distinguished by different colors, which means they are more easily comprehended so that mistakes are prevented. The significant progress in product labeling - which is by the way not limited to just syringes is also the subject to which a talk is devoted at the PDA Meeting: Bruno Reuter, Director of Product Development with Gerresheimer Bünde, speaks about "Coding technologies for syringes and vials".

Practical questions have always been top of the system developers' list of priorities. Gerresheimer has for years experienced rising demand for intelligent system components in line with the growth in its RTF^® business. The TELC (Tamper Evident Luerlock Closure) for example is convincing as a tamper-evident syringe closure which is opened through a controlled twist action. The TERNS (Rigid Needle Shield) encloses the needle tip and protects the canula by means of an impermeable element made of thermoplastic elastomer. Another smart accessory deserving mention here is the Needle Trap which is the result of an individual partnership with a manufacturer of functional labels for pharmaceutics: in perfectly complementary cooperation Gerresheimer and its customer Schreiner MediPharm created a new type of module by means of which used, contaminated needles can easily be secured.

With its unique combination of glass and plastic operations and order-based as well as project business the Gerresheimer Group has gained even further in substance since the last PDA Meeting even the compact display on the subject of injections makes this clear. How intensively the highly specialized glass and plastic worlds of the Group have now grown together is highlighted by the field of pen systems: insulin pens for diabetics can today be realized by Gerresheimer completely with both the specific glass cartridge on the one hand and the functional plastic system on the other.

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Contact:
Burkhard Lingenberg
Director Corporate Communication & Marketing