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SCHOTT expands U.S. Manufacturing with investment in new generation of pharma vials

SCHOTT Vials DC (Delamination Controlled) significantly reduce the risk of glass delamination and brings it under control. Photo by SCHOTT

International technology group SCHOTT has expanded its investment in the newest generation of pharmaceutical vials, mapping a future of stronger packaging options for pharmaceutical companies with U.S. manufacturing.

 

“The rise in biotech drug formulations has triggered an increasing demand for primary packaging with superior surfaces and high cosmetic quality”, said Christopher Cassidy VP Sales & Marketing, North America, SCHOTT Pharmaceutical Packaging. To target this need, the international technology group will be expanding its SCHOTT Vials DC (Delamination Controlled) manufacturing capability in the beginning of the first quarter of 2018 in order to also supply customers from its Lebanon, PA facility.

Over the past few years, delamination has led to recalls of numerous injectable drugs. SCHOTT Vials DC significantly reduce the risk of glass delamination and brings it under control. SCHOTT created an optimized and validated hot forming technology to prevent delamination. The hot forming technology creates a chemically homogeneous inner surface for the vial, improving its chemical stability. Each batch of vials undergoes a clear control strategy based on SCHOTT’s patented Quicktest, which uses a predefined quantitative limit value to guarantee that the delamination risk has been reduced and is under control.

Optimized manufacturing is also the key to preventing chips and cracks in the glass surface, and improving overall cosmetic quality. This not only facilitates automated machine inspection during filling operations, it also makes the vials less susceptible to breakage.

”Glass has a remarkably high internal strength”, said Cassidy. “Its weak points are small cracks on the surface or edges. Micro-defects caused during production or handling spread inward as mechanical stress increases. This can lead to fractures. As a matter of fact, an intact surface will already make a glass vial twice as resistant to breakage without any additional treatment.”

SCHOTT provides safer vials by optimizing the manufacturing process and introducing laboratory test procedures based on more than 130 years of experience in glass development and over 80 years of pharmaceutical packaging production.

“Having a reliable packaging partner that can support global sourcing strategies is becoming increasingly important for pharma manufacturers. The latest expansion of SCHOTT Vials DC underscores our commitment to U.S. production by addressing a real problem in the industry,” Cassidy said.

For more information visit: www.schott.com