Reducing The Risks Of Particles On The Outside Of Vials

John Erdner, PennTech Machinery Corp.

The Expanding Need of Decontamination Machines within the Pharmaceutical Industry

The pharmaceutical industry and safety regulators are putting more emphasis on using external washers to remove product particles from the outside of vials. This process minimizes the legal risk of long-term exposure for packaging operators and medical personnel who frequently handle toxic products.

Historical justification for external washers

The implementation of post capping external vial washing (decontamination) within the pharmaceutical industry has been increasing in recent years. Historically, powder filling installations were the most common applications to consider external washing. This was mainly for cosmetic reasons due to the obvious quantities of powder that were visible on the outside of the vials.

Financial justification for external washers

With the cost of drugs increasing, many pharmaceutical companies have found it financially advantageous to use external vial washers in front of automatic inspection equipment. All injectable products must be inspected for foreign particles and automatic inspection units are more reliable in identifying particles than manual inspections. These units provide a tremendous labor savings but, unfortunately...