Prefilled syringe selection

Buender Glas is a manufacturer of prefilled syringe systems and also supplies the pharmaceutical industry with glass cartridges, speciality vials, ophthalmic dropper bottles and inhalers. It is part of the Gerresheimer Group, headquartered in Düsseldorf, Germany.

The company is continuously expanding its production capacities for presterilised, prefilled RTF syringes due to a great market demand. The syringes conform with US, European and Japanese pharmacopoeias.

The cross-functional project teams at Buender Glas adapt drug delivery to meet the local requirements of a global industry. With more than 50 years of experience in the injectable drugs market, the company has considerable expertise in trends for parenteral delivery systems.

Technical services and products

The flexibility of the Buender Glas plant enables the accommodation of special customer demands. In the area of RTF syringes, its latest innovation is a controlled production set-up to customise baked-on silicone syringes. This responds to the increasing demand for biotech drugs that are best presented in prefilled syringes but show extreme sensitivity to sprayed silicone.

Drawing on its expertise in plastic moulding, Buender Glas develops and manufactures devices for the entire area surrounding drug delivery. This includes injectable drugs as well as ophthalmic, nasal and pulmonary drugs.

Buender Glas collaborates with all major machine makers and contract fillers to meet the requirements for product processing. Its project teams create innovative solutions to meet specific drug delivery needs.

The company's major products include:

• RTF® presterilised prefilled syringes
• Readyject® syringes (combining baked-on silicone barrels with staked needles)
• Insulin and dental cartridges
• Dropper bottle systems
• Child-resistant, tamper-evident closures
• Spray pump systems

Prefillable syringe systems

The requirements for prefilled syringe are changing. The syringes are now expected to present a wide range of injectable drugs through functional devices, including:

• Silicone-sensitive drugs. Many of the newly developed drugs – especially in the biotech area – have shown an increased sensitivity towards free silicone. The siliconisation of the inside of a glass barrel and plunger stopper is essential for the functionality of the syringe. Buender Glas has established a process that permits baking on silicone, even with RTF® syringes.

• Self-injected drugs. Many drugs can be self-administered at home. The current trend focuses on disposable devices. As the prefilled syringe has to be emptied completely, the siliconisation of the glass barrel is crucial for allowing the entire dose delivery. The low dexterity of some self-injectors also needs to be taken into account.

• Pain reduction. Many subjective and objective parameters influence the perception of pain. New thinner needles and more sophisticated needle bevels are now available. So-called thin wall needles allow good flow rates for thinner needle diameters. Buender Glas has access to many different needle combinations and, according to penetration tests, these combinations are unmatched in the industry.

• Diluent syringes. More and more drugs are only stable as a lyo or powder. For sophisticated drug delivery, prefilled diluent syringes have become an option. An undesirable shift in pH value is necessary for water-for-injection (WFI) syringes. Buender Glas has therefore developed a special pretreatment for the inside of a glass barrel.

• Prefilled syringe accessories. Accessories around the prefilled syringe are also becoming more important. Examples include temper evidence features, extended finger flanges and backstops, as well as needle stick prevention, and new innovations are also being developed.

To ensure timely and reliable access to its products, Buender Glas has offices in the USA, Germany, the UK and France. All products, however, are produced in Germany.