Schott North America has reportedly been awarded USD 800,000 included in the Defense Appropriations Bill, which will enable it to conduct research into the interaction between biotherapeutic drugs and…
Schott North America has reportedly been awarded USD 800,000 included in the Defense Appropriations Bill, which will enable it to conduct research into the interaction between biotherapeutic drugs and glass packaging. At present, this type of interactions can lead to adsorption, aggregation and precipitation, thus decreasing the effectiveness of these drugs. Schott will develop advanced pharmaceutical packaging solutions that will speed treatments during bioterror attacks and pandemics, while the research will also help Schott develop advanced packaging technologies for the commercial sector. Schott will use the appropriation to provide methods to improve the assessment of interaction between biotherapeutics and glass, as well as to develop new glass packaging technologies that extend the shelf life of these kinds of drugs. At present, many of the stockpiled vaccines and treatments are freeze-dried (lyophilized) so as to stop them from reacting with their packaging, thereby increasing their shelf life. This process is not only costly; the reconstitution process can slow down mass dissemination of the drug. Biotherapeutics formulated with liquid in a pre-filled syringe could dramatically reduce drug response times, thus improving mortality rates. Many of these drugs, however, have stability problems when stored as liquids, and can interact with the interior surfaces of glass packaging, thus reducing their effectiveness. “This appropriation will enable us to develop new pharmaceutical packaging assessment tools and solutions,” said Sam Conzone, director of Schott North America“s Regional Research and Development. “With these solutions, we will be able to aid in the preparedness of the US government for quickly disseminating vaccines and treatments in the event of a bioterrorism attack.” Schott is a major developer of tools that measure the interaction between pharmaceuticals and pharmaceutical packaging, and has years of experience creating and producing coatings and other packaging technologies that prevent these interactions from taking place.