Clariant, a specialty chemicals company, is presenting its customized humidity control solutions in pharma packaging at pharmaceutical networking event, CPhI Worldwide 2015.
Standard desiccant products, which Clariant also supplies, remove substantially all humidity in pharmaceutical packaging and effectively prevent hydrolytic degradation and extend the shelf-life of many drugs. However, certain pharmaceutical products may need more or less moisture in order to stay effective and that requires a more customized solution provided by Clariant's EQ-PAK moisture-control packets and EQ-CAN canisters.
For instance, the ability of a micronized drug powder to reach optimally into a patient's lungs when dispensed by a dry-powder inhaler (DPI) can be strongly influenced by moisture. Excessive moisture can increase adhesive or cohesive forces between particles and alter particle size distribution. Excessive dehydration, on the other hand, will increase the electrostatic charge of the particles. Both can adversely affect the fluidization of the powder when patients inhale.
Another example is seen in gelatin capsules that enclose liquid or solid drugs. To maintain the integrity of the capsule over time, the gelatin forming the capsule needs to be plasticized by a significant amount of water. In a low-humidity environment, capsules may lose moisture and become brittle. Under high-humidity conditions, they will gain moisture and soften or fuse together. Because the physical stability of gelatin capsules is primarily associated with the gain or loss of moisture, packaging options are often limited. Active control of the humidity level within the packaging headspace - using Clariant's EQ-PAK and EQ-CAN products - can provide new options for pharma packagers.
Clariant Healthcare Packaging business development manager Elisa Le Floch said: "While hydrolytic degradation of drugs can be addressed by removing substantially all humidity entering the packaging, other pharmaceutical properties may require maintaining a certain headspace humidity within a specific range throughout a product's shelf life.
"As an expert in controlled-atmosphere packaging, Clariant can assist customers in defining the optimal protective packaging system."
Clariant's EQ-PAK packets and EQ-CAN canisters are specially engineered sorbents that can act as humectants (desorbers) and desiccants (adsorbers) simultaneously, maintaining a particular equilibrium relative humidity (ERH) inside product packaging.
