Information from Gerresheimer at API China

Strong interest in innovative technologies: particular focus on sterile systems

Interest in the latest technologies for prefillable and sterile all-glass syringes is growing in China as well. The Gerresheimer Group deals with this subject in detail at a specialist congress for pharmaceutics and medicine which is being held in the capital of Sichuan province, Chengdu, from 18 to 20 May 2006. At the invitation of ApiChina, experts from the Gerresheimer subsidiaries Kimble and Bünder Glas are giving lectures about the markets, properties and production of tubular borosilicate glass and injection systems based on it, such as ampoules, vials, cartridges and in particular injection systems, including sterile RTF® syringes. An exhibition completes the information.

With its German competence centre Bünder Glas, which is part of the pharmaSystems Division, Gerresheimer enjoys a worldwide reputation
as a technology leader in the growth market of sterile allglass syringes. The tubular glass used for the syringes is produced by the Group itself - as a vertically integrated manufacturer - in its own glassPackaging Division in America and Europe: its European
production centre for this is Kimble Italiana in Pisa. At the event in Chengdu the two companies contribute their specific expertise: in a lecture entitled “Borosilicate tubing glass: High-performance resource for the pharmaceutical industry” Dr. Michele Schinella
(Kimble Italiana) explains the chemical neutrality of this high-quality glass and its various application forms for pharmaceutics, the precision of tubular glass production and the importance of this type of glass in the world pharmaceutics market. Another lecture by Horst Fritzlar(Bünder Glas) is entitled "The prefillable syringe: Innovative problem solution based on tubular glass” and provides a comprehensive overview ranging from the complex process technology and clean-room conditions in production to quality assurance, and focussing on specific surface treatments for syringe systems as well as current refinements for their use.

At the congress in Chengdu, one of the most important cities in Western and South Western China - with a population of ten and a half million, Gerresheimer expects particular attention to be paid to the sterile syringe sector. “The Chinese specialist world is extremely
interested in the progress achieved in this future-oriented field,” says Burkhard Lingenberg, Director of Corporate PR and Marketing
for the Gerresheimer Group. “Particularly through the joint lecture package of the specialists from Pisa and Bünde we can pass on sound, comprehensive and up-to-date knowledge."

Not only through its tubular glass and ready-to-fill syringes but also in the entire field of primary packaging for pharmaceutics, Gerresheimer ranks among the most important partners for the pharma industry worldwide. It has also been established in the Asian markets for a considerable time. The Group offers an exceptionally wide range of high-quality packaging and systems based on tubular glass, moulded glass and plastic. Today Gerresheimer has its own production plants in a total of 21 locations in Europe, America and Asia, including Beijing Gerresheimer which produces glass in China.