Schott Pharma has revealed its Everic freeze vials, designed for ultra-cold storage of mRNA and gene therapy drugs.
These vials can withstand temperatures as low as -80°C, preventing glass breakage common in standard vials during freezing and thawing.
This avoids the loss of life-saving medications and costly downtimes.
The vials have an improved strength due to optimised glass tubing, vial geometry and production processes.
Andreas Reisse, CEO of Schott Pharma, said: “Our scientific strength tests have shown that the new vials outperform standard vials, making them a dedicated solution for frozen medications used to treat infectious diseases, cancer, and central nervous system disorders.”
In 2023, there were, for example, 11 mRNA drugs and 10 gene therapy drugs commercially available, which required deep-cold storage, and over 100 mRNA and 45 gene therapy drugs in clinical trials (Source: GlobalData).
Pharma companies are therefore looking for an experienced partner in terms of drug containment and delivery systems, who can provide the right solution to help shorten the time to market.
“By expanding our portfolio with the new vials, we are now the only partner to leading pharma companies who can offer both polymer and glass solutions for deep-cold storage requirements,” adds Mr Reisse.
Drug manufacturers also want to ensure that the drug remains stable until it reaches the patient. For this, the container closure integrity (CCI) is crucial.
However, the CCI is also at risk in deep-cold temperatures because the stoppers can shrink and lose elasticity, which could affect the drug’s efficacy.
Through scientific testing with eight variants, Schott Pharma found a 0% failure rate for all configurations, showing that CCI can be maintained for all combinations within ISO dimensions, including Everic freeze vials.
The vials are manufactured in Müllheim, Germany, where Schott Pharma’s competence centre is also located.
They can be supplied as ready-to-use (RTU) if requested and are available in 2 – 30 mL.
