Merck launches cleanroom sacks
cleanroom use at the CPhI meeting, as well as a new calcium salt
with, it claims, unrivalled bioavailability.
Germany's Merck KGaA introduced what it claims is the first "clean solution to cleanroom packaging" at the CPhI meeting in Frankfurt, Germany.
The double polyethylene (PE) Safer Sacks are designed to overcome a problem with conventional sacks, i.e. that contamination adhering to them could be unintentionally carried into clean production areas. The new design overcomes this problem, by allowing technicians to remove the sterilised inner sack only when inside the aseptic environment.
The double sack is made with a rugged construction, according to Merck, and the inner separates from the outer one via a simple perforation system designed to make handling easier. Moreover, the inner bag can be labelled using a laser with all relevant batch and product data, avoiding mix-ups and time-consuming re-filling processes.
Horst Becker, product manager for Merck's life sciences division, said that the company is investing heavily in technologies that can provide a competitive edge over its rivals. "The development of the double PE sack and the re-fitting of our plant alone have cost some €1.6 million," he noted.
Calcium salt
Meantime, Merck also presented a new calcium ingredient at the CPhI meeting. Calcium pidolate is claimed to offer greater absorption of calcium ions - and hence greater bioavailability - than any other product on the market, according to the firm.
The soluble salt offers independent absorption, regardless of gastric pH, as well as good gastrointestinal tolerance, it added.
