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The coring and fragmentation of elastomer components used in containment of parenteral drug products continues to be a challenge. Many factors influence these phenomena, so it is critical that a pharmaceutical manufacturer understands how a vial system will be used, for example: what is the recommended needle gauge; is it single- or multi-dose; could spikes, vial adapters or closed system transfer devices be used. Cores and fragments can be generated by needle penetration of the elastomer components. Cores are formed by the needle cannula cutting the elastomer – ordinarily they are cylindrical. Fragments are formed via an abrasion phenomenon of the needle penetration – shapes are irregular.
Properties of both elastomer and needle affect coring and fragmentation. Based upon West experience, risk factors are:
Elastomer
Needle
To select the right elastomer component, based upon performance and function, reach out to West Technical Customer Support (TCS) for assistance.
Coring and fragmentation are two typical events that can occur when a needle is pierced through a vial closure to withdraw drugs from the vial or expel drugs into the vial.
For injectable drug products, coring and fragmentation of elastomer stoppers is a critical concern. This is caused by tearing or shearing a fragment of the stopper in a vial during insertion of a needle or a spike. The cores/fragments that enter the drug product may lead to harmful patient outcomes. Testing of stoppers is a must for many pharmacopeias. Coring and fragmentation is complex and influenced by many factors, in particular the stopper and the needle.
When it comes to choosing the right container closure system, a significant amount of focus is directed at addressing issues that may be a risk to safety and efficacy of the parenteral drug before it is introduced to a patient. Examples are testing of container closure integrity (CCI) and drug stability. Prior to drug administration by a health care professional, the rubber stopper is pierced with a needle, at least once. Stopper puncture testing also needs to be considered, especially if the closure system will be used in a multi-dose application.
In recent years, there has been an increase in the use of multi-dose vials. First, multi-dose vials can create efficiency and reduce packaging waste when vaccines are administered to large populations. For example, both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines provide multiple doses per vial to maximize the number of people vaccinated as quickly as possible. Secondly, multi-dose vials enable dosing flexibility to a diverse group of patients with different dosages dependent on patient age/weight. This also applies to the animal health sector to accommodate the large diversity across different species, dosage differences, and use of various needle gauge sizes.
When selecting the appropriate rubber stopper for any respective vial containment system, there are many aspects to consider regarding the properties of the elastomeric closure. For the purposes of this discussion, the focus will be on the functional performance of the stopper and what key aspects should be considered during the assessment and selection process. Coring and fragmentation, container closure integrity, and machinability of the stoppers will be briefly reviewed.
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