Challenges In Choosing The Right Sorbent

By Adrian Possumato, Vice President, Healthcare Packaging

Maintaining drug stability, quality, shelf life, safety, and efficacy is often achieved by using a sorbent to manage moisture, remove oxygen, or eliminate volatiles in the drug or device packaging headspace. With so much at stake, sorbent insertion is a critical step in the pharmaceutical packaging process.  Many manufacturers prefer the increased reliability and process consistency found with automated sorbent insertion as compared to manual insertion.  Unfortunately for manufacturers, automated insertion can create challenges on the packaging line when not properly implemented by a reputable supplier that can offer technical expertise and customized solutions.   With the wrong system, downtime becomes commonplace and leads to inefficiency and financial loss. 

Dispensable sorbents that are used in pharmaceutical packaging applications typically are commercially available in canister or packet formats. Choosing one over the other may be driven by sorbent capacity requirements, space limitations, or a personal preference. Whether the choice is packets or canisters, manufacturers should be aware that each has its own challenges associated with dispensing.