A pre-filled syringe or PFS is a single-dose disposable syringe that is supplied loaded with the substance to be injected. By using a pre-filled syringe filling machine, you can have excellent dosage accuracy due to the exact filling of medications. During administration, safety from potential contaminants is also ensured as they are directly injected after opening. To further minimize the risk of contamination, pre-filled syringes are often filled and sealed in a sterile environment using stainless steel equipment.

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Pre-filled syringes containment

Pre-filled syringes filling

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Rising demand for sophisticated forms of drug delivery

Pre-filled syringes are gaining popularity over traditional syringes and vials and are considered one of the fastest-growing markets in drug delivery and pharmaceutical packaging industries. Pre-filled syringes address most of the issues from the traditional vial and syringe drug delivery such as less risk of contamination during administration as there is no need to draw out substances from a separate container and elimination of on-site vial cleaning and depyrogenation. Additionally, the exact fill volume of pre-filled syringes ensures that the correct dosage is administered to the patient, thereby minimizing potential dosage errors.

For healthcare providers, prefilled syringes provide the exact dosage for injection, preventing potential dosage error and offering quick and convenient drug administration. For pharmaceutical companies, pre-filled syringes eliminate drug overfill with its correct dosage. This means less waste of drugs and better efficiency in manufacturing since vials are usually overfilled to ensure that the transfer of drugs from vial to syringe is adequate.

Less contamination, safer application, from a material called Cyclo Olefin Polymer

Most prefilled syringes still use glass materials, but in some parts of the world like Japan, plastic-based materials are becoming more common due to their improved break resistance and less surface reaction from chemicals. New materials for syringes have been developed to improve safety from contamination using a material called Cyclo Olefin Polymer (COP) that looks and feels like glass but tougher. The piston in pre-filled syringes made of COP material is resistant to delamination, and its properties are retained at cryogenic temperatures, and it requires no lubricants or processing aids.

It is tungsten-free, which means it has fewer chances of health hazard due to tungsten exposure – tungsten can cause nausea and irritation to the lungs, eyes, and skin. COP is resistant to delamination; its properties are retained at cryogenic temperatures and require no lubricants or processing aids. This material can also be sterilized with gamma, ethylene oxide, and steam.

Administration of vaccines: tried-and-tested or new-and-improved?

Typical delivery methods for vaccines use multi-dose vials especially in mass vaccination programs. However, with the pre-filled syringes gaining market share, there is a shift towards using pre-filled syringes rather than multi-dose vials for vaccines. Based on global data of evaluation of vaccine presentation, pre-filled syringes can save time in mass immunization clinics. A study conducted by Scheifele and colleagues in Canada shows that, for every 1000 vaccine doses, vials took 36 hours while pre-filled syringes only took 27 hours.

This means that man-hours charged for labor costs are significantly lowered by 25 to 33 percent. Other advantages of using pre-filled syringes include the reduction of vaccine waste as it removes the variation inherent in drawing from a vial. There is also an increase in the consistency of administrating medicines across all locations as some healthcare workers are more adept than others in drawing medicines from a vial.

Pre-filled syringe filling machine for bubble-free liquid contents

Pharmaceutical companies that manufacture complex biologics require less headspace by using the bubble-free filling method. This is done by a stoppering technique called vacuum placement. A vacuum is pulled in each syringe that causes a differential pressure. The pressure draws the plunger into the syringe, leaving minimal headspace between the product and the plunger.

Advantages of a bubble-free pre-filled syringe filling machine are dosing accuracy with the removal of air bubbles, assurance of sterility because of fewer chances of plunger movement during shipping, and biologic stability due to less oxygen content that can affect oxygen-sensitive drugs. In addition to the filling machine, a labeling machine can also be used to apply labels to pre-filled syringes. This ensures that the syringes are properly labeled, which is important for tracking and tracing purposes.