The Gerresheimer Pharma Group provides information at the AAPS Annual Congress in Texas through experts from Bünder Glas and Kimble Glass

Here the Gerresheimer Pharma Group focuses on innovative technologies in the field of injection systems and a high-calibre range of pharmaceutical glassware. At this congress which enjoys high worldwide regard the Group is represented this year again by its syringe competence centre Bünder Glas and its American glass specialist Kimble Glass (Stand 820).

Progress in the field of injections is a subject to which pharmacists, medical practitioners and drug-delivery experts all pay very close attention. A key role is played by the most advanced category of ready-to-fill-syringes delivered to the pharmaceutics industry completely sterilised, siliconised and pre-assembled. For the professionally staged Gerresheimer presentation, strong interest is therefore to be expected: through Bünder Glas the Group has established itself worldwide as a technology leader in the field and is one of the most sought-after system partners in this dynamically growing market.

“The category of sterile syringes has from the start set newstandards on the production side – now it is also setting standards for the quality of injections. It is the future in this sector,” says Burkhard Lingenberg, Director of Corporate PR and Marketing for the Gerresheimer Group, with conviction. His company sees here a decisive breakthrough for the concept of constructive system partnership which can only accelerate development as a whole:“Progress in drug delivery means in the end progress in pharmaceutics,” he emphasises.

In 2007, Gerresheimer will already be producing substantially more sterile syringes than traditional bulk-ware systems. Another massive expansion of its own RTF® production capacity for sterile all-glasssyringes has almost been completed. In addition, the Group will in the near future be expanding its Ready-to-Fill range to include a new category of COP plastic syringes produced to identical quality criteria in Japan. COP (Cyclic Olefin Polymer) is characterised for example by its barrier properties which are unique in the field of plastics and by high mechanical and thermal stability. The new syringes are suitable for the most sensitive medications and at the same time represent the perfect instrument for high-volume injections. Gerresheimer will be supplying them from January 2007, primarily as depositary solvent syringes fur freeze-dried medications and for contrast material in x-ray medicine.

RTF® systems are already in practical use to achieve maximum safety and convenience. The accessory range extends from pain-reducing precision needles to the Rigid Needle Shield, the Tamper Evident Luerlock Closure and the Backstop. It therefore meets widely varied needs in the injection environment more systematically than any other syringe category. An award just recently received by Gerresheimer in Europe for one of these complementary components confirms by the way that a wider public is also honouring progress of this type in a clearly targeted way: the Rigid Needle Shield – a needle protection moulding which is soft on the inside and hard on the outside – has been awarded the coveted German Packaging Prize for 2006 as an important innovation for protection against injuries.

Excellence across the board in the field of pharmaceutical glassware is reflected in parallel in the presentation by the highlyregarded American Gerresheimer company Kimble Glass – America’s largest and most diversified glass specialist for pharmaceutics and science. Here, to outstanding quality standards, Gerresheimer processes type-I borosilicate tubular glass as well as moulded glass in types I and III. For the pharma industry this means on the one hand a comprehensive primary-packaging range and on the other hand a wide choice of glass-based laboratory equipment. As a vertically integrated manufacturer the Gerresheimer Group itself produces the high-quality borosilicate glass tubes which as intermediary products are for example also required for syringe systems. In addition to a widely varied range of finely designed cartridges, ampoules, vials and laboratory aids based on this material, Kimble exhibits pharmaceutical bottles and jars from its comprehensive moulded glass range. In America alone the Group owns through Kimble six production plants - five in the USA and one in Mexico. In total, it manufactures in more than twenty locations in America, Europe and Asia. Its product spectrum extends beyond glass and syringes to an innovative range of pharmaceutical packaging and application systems based on plastic – all in all it offers today the largest packaging and systems range of its kind in the world. As an all-round professional packaging and systems specialist for the pharmaceutics industry the Gerresheimer Group is therefore a step ahead all round the word: leading positions and strong growth characterise its operations in all the markets it serves.