SCHOTT Launches New Pharma Packaging CoE

SCHOTT has set up a ready-to-use (RTU) center of excellence at its Lebanon, PA production facility, aimed at bringing together SCHOTT’s experts and pharma partners at the heart of manufacturing. Coinciding with the launch, SCHOTT hosted a symposium on packaging trends and current production considerations, including the need for closer partnerships between the pharma industry and its suppliers in order to uphold patient safety, reduce particle contamination in packaging, and secure the supply chain.
 
Experts at the SCHOTT event reported that specialty drugs are driving medical growth in developing countries, and the self-administered drug market is expected to double in the next five years. Also, particle-related drug recalls have increased more than 300% since 2012, according to the company. Pharmaceutical manufacturers are relying more on RTU packaging in an effort to achieve particle-free drug filling, and it allows for filling different container formats on the same filling line, making the processing of smaller batch sizes more cost-effective.
 
SCHOTT’s Lebanon manufacturing plant will serve as a hub where SCHOTT and its partners can develop solutions to exploit the full potential of sterile packaging concepts. Also, the plant’s manufacturing capacity ensures the security of supply of RTU vials and other pharma packaging.

At the launch, SCHOTT highlighted its adaptiQ system for RTU vials, which come sterile in a nest and tub configuration. The nest holds as many as 100 sterile vials, which can be loaded onto production lines without the manufacturer having to perform pre-treatment steps such as washing, drying, or sterilization, according to the company. The system is designed to reduce scratches from vial-to-vial and vial-to-machine contact during the entire process, including lyophilization. Finally, adaptiQ has been designed so vials can be filled on production lines normally used for syringes, with minimal changeover times.
 
“Packaging is a critical cog in pharmaceutical delivery, and recent regulatory papers highlight the importance of high-quality processing and manufacturing of packaging,” said Christopher Cassidy, vice president sales and marketing of SCHOTT Pharmaceutical Systems in the U.S. “SCHOTT’s center of excellence in Lebanon is the manifestation of the relationship we have with our partners, and our collaborative efforts create safe, reliable, and easy-to-use packaging products.”