Gerresheimer presents new plastic syringe at CPhI

Global pharma partner Gerresheimer has presented a new brand of plastic syringes at CPhI Worldwide.

The Gx RTF Clearject brand uses a prefillable, high performance plastic COP (Cyclo-Olefin-Polymer) which is suitable for demanding, sensitive medications and high viscosity agents.

The syringes are made in Europe, and American and European customers will be offered a portfolio of COP syringes from a single production location in Europe.

The Gx RTF ClearJect syringe with cannula offers key advantages with regard to the primary packaging of demanding medications, especially when it comes to biocompatibility. The COP material does not release metal ions into the medication solution. Since the entire syringe including the insert-molded cannula is produced in a single step, the product is also free of tungsten and adhesives. COP has a high pH tolerance and, unlike glass, does not change the pH value while in storage. The oxygen permeation rate is low in comparison to other plastics, and the values for extractables and leachables are low.

The plastic syringes have numerous advantages over glass thanks to their medical applications. In medications for cancer therapy the break resistance of a syringe can be deciding factor for selection. When using biotech medications, smaller doses are effective but are frequently very expensive. Therefore, any interaction with the syringe material must be ruled out. COP syringes offer advantages such as resistance to breaking, transparency and they interact little with the packaged medications. The precise geometry of the syringe also means that less expensive medication is left behind.  

The syringe’s break resistance makes it suitable for packaging aggressive or toxic materials and Gerresheimer chose COP as the material for its strong physical properties. The syringes are also excellently suitable for use in autoinjectors thanks to their ruggedness and precise geometry