With a total of 13 sites across Asia for its range of glass and plastic products, Gerresheimer has announced it will be attending the Medipharm Expo this month.

Taking place from 2 August to 4 August at the Saigon Exhibition and Conference Center, the company will be showcasing its glass primary packaging for drugs at booth B119/120.

The exhibit will feature standardised and specially manufactured products made in accordance with the stringent requirements of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as well as well-known pharmacopoeia, following uniform certified processes defined at a global level.

As a traditional material, glass has proved time and again to be the perfect choice for storing drugs. Gerresheimer boasts three specialist glassworks in China and two in India, meaning it is ideally placed to meet the international and local demand for premium-quality primary packaging for all manner of different liquid and solid drugs.

Tubular glass containers for dry and liquid drugs

At its three Chinese sites, Danyang I and II and Zhenjiang, and at its most recent production facility for tubular glass containers in the Indian city of Kosamba (Gujarat), Gerresheimer produces ampoules, injection vials, cartridges, laboratory (threaded) vials and specialty products made from type I and II clear and amber glass.

Certified production in China and India

All Chinese sites are certified to the ISO 9001 standard for quality management, ISO 14001 for environmental management and to the ISO 15378. Suppliers of primary packaging for pharmaceutical products benefit from the fact that ISO 15378 incorporates all the relevant good manufacturing practice (GMP) requirements and facilitates compliance with the international, European, and national law.

The new Kosamba plant also holds certification in various international standards, including ISO 9001:2015, US drug master file (DMF) type III, Health Canada (DMF), and ISO 15378. Gx Rhoc, the camera inspection system developed by Gerresheimer, ensures exceptional dimensional quality for vials. Several HD cameras detect every flaw.

Clear and amber moulded neutral glass

Kosamba-based Neutral Glass is Gerresheimer’s moulded glass production site in India, where various different types of glass can be manufactured at the same time, such as clear and amber glass infusion and injection bottles made from type I borosilicate glass.

The company also produces type III glass containers for a large number of drugs. The production line in Kosamba is certified in accordance with ISO 9001 and DMF type III requirements.

Cleanroom monitoring at the cold end

A new furnace for type I glass has significantly improved product quality at Neutral Glass this year. Thanks in particular to improved temperature monitoring during processing, the quality of the glass is now far more consistent. In combination with construction and upgrade work on the new furnace, a cleanroom inspection area complete with camera inspection systems has also been introduced at the cold end. Finished products are now guaranteed a full check before being packaged.

A standardised approach around the world

State-of-the-art global machinery standards and employees who are trained in the production process ensure that all the workflows at all the plants meet the same standards.