Gerresheimer Announces New Laboratory & Regulatory Services for Biotech Customers

Gerresheimer recently announced it has added essential laboratory and regulatory services to its broad portfolio of products, solutions, and services for biotech companies. Specialized laboratory technicians and an experienced team of further specialists offer these services in the two innovation and technology centers in Bünde (Germany) and Vineland (New Jersey/US). Gx Biological Solutions offers full service for biotech companies regarding product development of primary packaging and drug delivery solutions, material and functional testing, as well as comprehensive regulatory support. The partnership with Gerresheimer shortens the time to market for pharmaceutical companies, minimizes risks, and saves resources.

“Our Glass Innovation and Technology Centers, with their new laboratory and regulatory services, take a lot of the work off our customers on the long road to regulatory approval,” says Stefan Verheyden, Global Vice President of the Gx Biological Solutions Team.

The new center is located at the production site for glass syringes, injection vials, and cartridges in Bünde. The range of services includes laboratory and regulatory services by regulatory experts for DMF III (Drug Master File) and the new MDR (Medical Device Regulation). Product support is provided by the relevant product and material experts. They take care of the correct specification and can guide regarding fill & finish questions. Chemical analyses help in finding the appropriate packaging system with regard to material in direct contact to the drug formulation, such as glass, tungsten, adhesives, silicone oil, or polymers. Customer-specific developments and design proposals are also developed and adapted to intelligent solutions as required. Throughout the whole value chain of drug development, subsequent testing and analyses can be conducted. Material and particle analysis, extractables and leachables testing, container closure integrity investigations, drug container interaction and aging tests, residual volume, fill & finish support, and orienting stability tests are just a couple of examples of the cutting edge services that Gerresheimer will offer.

Additionally, a sample stock will hold many frequently used possible container formats for biopharmaceutical development, enabling our customers to rapidly respond to any urgent market requirements they might face. The Gx innovative portfolio includes strengthened glass vials (both in non-sterile and ready-to-fill format) silicone-free syringes, safety devices, also in already assembled, sterilized and nested format (Gx RTF), and other intelligent primary packaging solutions.

In parallel, Gerresheimer has expanded the reach of the existing Glass Innovation and Technology Center in Vineland with a comparable extended service offering as specified for the Bünde site. Next to the existing material science capabilities, an extensive offering of functional testing will be added. The bundling of development capacities with dedicated lab and regulatory services for primary packaging, such as injection vials and cartridges, has clear advantages when it comes to significantly reduce “time to market.” At Vineland, experts and engineers who specialize in glass technology work in an environment that encourages collaboration through open offices, project, laboratory, and meeting rooms. The environment also enables interactive collaboration with customers on site. The Innovation Center was the first of its kind for Gerresheimer’s primary packaging glass business and was built in 2019 next to the plant in Vineland. In this way, the Innovation Center develops and tests new products and processes in close proximity to a production site and can incorporate the operational know-how of engineers from this plant. In addition, Gerresheimer’s other American production sites can also use the service. It comprises a detailed analysis of the primary packaging material; for example, the material, surfaces and functions of injection vials are tested and chemical analyses are carried out. Gerresheimer also accompanies and supports its customers with regulatory support, official documentation and registration.

Gerresheimer is a leading global partner to the pharma and healthcare industry. With special products made of glass and plastic the company contributes to health and well-being. Gerresheimer is represented worldwide and with around 10,000 employees produces, where its customers and markets are. With plants in Europe, America, and Asia, Gerresheimer generates sales of around $1.64 billion. The wide range of products includes pharmaceutical packaging and products for simple and safe drug administration: insulin pens, inhalers, micropumps, prefillable syringes, injection vials, ampules, bottles, and containers for liquid and solid medications with closure and safety systems, as well as packaging for the cosmetics industry.