Gerresheimer’s Indian plants produce glass vials, ampoules and bottles that are specially designed for the storage of high-quality drugs.
These are all examples of primary packaging, which means they come into direct contact with their contents. For pharmaceutical applications, they must be manufactured in line with the stringent requirements of the relevant pharmacopoeias, as the packaging must allow drugs to be stored safely until their use.
Gerresheimer will present its glass packaging solutions at booth D6 at the InnoPack Pharma Confex in Mumbai from 24 May to 25 May. Head of sales Saibal Sengupta will be on hand at the event to advise customers and other interested visitors looking for a suitable solution for their drug.
Gerresheimer has two plants at its site in the Indian city of Kosamba. The recently constructed Gerresheimer plant manufactures vials and ampoules for the pharmaceutical industry using tubular glass, while its neutral glass plant makes moulded glass products for pharmaceutical applications. It has only very recently put a new high-performance furnace into operation.
Quality from the outset – cleanroom control at the cold end
Gerresheimer’s head of sales and marketing Sachin Sule said: “The technical features of our new furnace for Type I glass has significantly enhanced our quality levels to meet growing demands of pharmaceuticals worldwide.
“The glass is considerably more uniform thanks to an improved electrical boosting control during processing. The state-of-the-art furnace has also a higher pull rate.”
To coincide with the construction and upgrade work on the new furnace, a cleanroom inspection area was also built at the cold end, complete with new camera inspection systems to guarantee a comprehensive examination of the finished products before safe packing.
Various types of clear and amber moulded glass
Neutral glass is set up to produce different types of glass at the same time. Here, Gerresheimer manufactures clear and amber glass infusion and injection bottles from Type I borosilicate glass.
The company also produces Type III glass containers for a large number of drugs.
The production line at this factory is certified in accordance with drug master file (DMF) Type III requirements.
Tubular glass production in line with internationally recognised standards
Saibal Sengupta said: “Our new plant in Kosamba produces ampoules and vials made from borosilicate glass to the same high-quality standards as apply in Europe or the Americas.
“All of our production and inspection processes are internationally standardised and certified.”
The new plant is certified in accordance with ISO 9001:2015, US DMF Type III, Health Canada DMF, and ISO 15378.
Gerresheimer’s camera inspection system Gx Rhoc ensures exceptional dimensional quality for vials, and several HD cameras detect every flaw.
Gx vials made from glass
Vials are among the world’s most popular pharmaceutical packaging solutions and Gerresheimer produces versions in clear and amber glass that can hold between 1ml and 50ml.
The range of tubular glass vials on offer in Asia includes clear and amber glass Type I. All manner of different shapes are available, either with or without blowback and compliant with either international standards or the customer’s own specifications.
Gx ampoules made from glass
Gerresheimer’s wide range of high-quality pharmaceutical ampoules made from pharmaceutical glass Type I includes ampoules made from clear and amber glass that can hold between 1ml and 30ml.
Among these products are straight-stem, funnel-type, and closed ampoules that comply with the relevant ISO standards (types B, C, and D) with various break systems such as one point cut (OPC), colour break ring (CBR), and score ring.
Customer-specific requirements can also be implemented alongside the major ISO standards.
An end-to-end range
Gerresheimer’s full global range encompasses all classes of glass used for pharmaceuticals, including Types II and III sodium silicate glass and Type I borosilicate glass.
This enables the company to supply the perfect glass packaging to suit drugs of any shape or size. Its extensive glass range means that appropriate packaging solutions can be found for even the most sensitive pharmaceuticals.
With its Duma and Triveni brands, Gerresheimer also offers plastic containers in line with international requirements.