Dual-chamber cartridges as innovative packaging for freeze-dried products

In the lyophilization process, water is removed from a product after freezing and placing it under a vacuum to change ice directly to vapor without passing through the liquid phase. Vials are the most used packaging for freeze-drying products due to their simple assembly. The fact that they have a large volume facilitates heat transfer and rapid sublimation during drying.

However, more innovative packaging such as dual-chamber syringes or cartridges made their entrance as packaging forms of freeze-dried substances. Dual-chamber syringes are good for single-dose applications and filling volumes of 0.1 to 5mL.

Pharmaceutical cartridges – the perfect match for pre-filled syringes

Pre-filled syringe cartridges have many advantages over traditional syringes. These advantages revolve around convenience, sterility and accuracy. If a patient requires a quick injection or there is an emergency, having a pre-filled syringe cartridge ready is more convenient than filling a standard syringe. This way, health workers can also be sure to provide accurate dosage to patients instead of overfilling or underfilling the barrel, which can negatively affect the treatment. An important advantage is that drugs into cartridges can remain sterile for about two or three years instead the medications in standard syringes will have a shelf life of about 12 hours.

Pharmaceutical cartridge filling equipment for safety and compliance

Pharmaceutical cartridges must undergo aseptic filling through a pharmaceutical cartridge filling equipment. The process involves handling medications that may be sensitive to other elements and ensuring that the substance is free from contaminants that may cause health risks once patients use it.

The process starts with washing the cartridges before sending them to a depyrogenation tunnel so you can remove pyrogens. Then you can fill the cartridges with the substance and seal them with a plunger or stopper. After sealing, they are sent to a labeling and coding machine for all the labels and serial coding. Then, they are loaded on a tray and ready for packaging. These should be done under a sterile environment as per pharmacopeia standards.