Blow-Fill-Seal Technology

Plastic containers are increasingly being used for the packaging of pharmaceutical products as well as e.g. of solutions for contact lenses or of beverages. In particular the so-called BFS (blow-fill-seal)- or alternatively FFS (form-fill-seal) technology offers a wide range of packaging possibilities for pharmaceuticals, food, beverages etc. The in-house packaging procedure comprises simultaneous forming, filling and closing of containers with one machine for the entire operation. The papers collected in this volume are the updated versions of lectures held at the APV (International Association for Pharmaceutical Technology) seminar in June 1997. They deal with different aspects of this fast growing primary packaging method such as types of plastic materials, detailed manufacturing process, machinery of BFS-technology, validation aspects and quality assurance. In addition to this different dosage forms, sterile and non sterile products like inhalation solutions or dermatological preparations are discussed.