Flexible, trusted packaging solutions for the parenteral delivery of pain prevention drugs

Anaesthetics prevent the neural transmission of pain and are a routine element of many medical procedures. Local or regional anaesthetics are used to numb a small, specific area such as a tooth or an eye, or a larger area, as in the case of a spinals or epidurals, respectively. General anaesthetics and sedation, in contrast, hold the patient in a well-controlled unconscious state, notably for surgery and other procedures such as prolonged ventilation. A wide range of drugs have anaesthetic properties but one of the most commonly used for intravenous delivery is propofol. Prized for its effectiveness and minimal side effects, propofol is formulated as an emulsion and can be used either to induce or maintain an anaesthetised state.

Parenteral delivery is extremely common for anaesthetic drugs, accounting for ~90% of drug delivery by volume*. Slow injection enables rapid and effective numbing while infusion over a sustained period allows the well-controlled maintenance of anaesthesia during a procedure. Glass infusion bottles and injection vials are routinely selected for parenteral anaesthetic delivery and offer:

• Flexibility, different packaging solutions are available to match specific products and manufacturing processes
• Well-established technology for filling, sealing and labelling
• Clarity, to facilitate product inspection
• Maximum chemical stability, to safeguard product quality.

SGD Pharma offers a wide range of bottle and vials to meet requirements for parenteral anaesthetic drug delivery. Type II, soda-lime-silica glass with treated inner surfaces is a cost-efficient option where suitable; Type I products offer higher hydrolytic resistance for anaesthetics that require it. The quality of SGD Pharma glass is extremely high and the company continues to innovate to meet evolving requirements for specific anaesthetics with, for example, plasticised glass packaging.

* IQVIA MIDAS Actual 2018