West Pharmaceutical Services discuss plans to introduce Daikyo Crystal Zenith product line in the coming months

Hosts seminar to highlight benefits of CoP over glass

Sachin Jagdale – Ahmedabad

West Pharmaceutical Services recently organised a half-day seminar on ‘Daikyo Crystal Zenith — The new life cycle solution for drug containment,’ in Ahmedabad. The seminar was attended by potential clients from the pharma industry.

West introduced Crystal Zenith (CZ) components, which are made of a proprietary cyclic olefin polymer (CoP), during the seminar. While the product is yet to be commercialised in the Indian market, a few pharma companies in India have bought these products for evaluation on a trial basis. The products are manufactured by West’s partner Daikyo Seiko in Japan.

During the event, Priyatanu Pathak, National Sales Manager, India, gave an overview of West Pharmaceutical Services. Kevin E Cancelliere, Director, PDS Marketing, informed the audience about the market trends  in the injectables drug market. Kennedy Clarke, Sr Director, Business Development CZ Products, spoke about Crystal Zenith syringes; whereas Dr Nicolas Brandes, Business Development Manager, CZ Products, Europe, spoke on Crystal Zenith vials. Guest speaker, Dr Santhanakrishnan S, Sr Director – Global Complex Generics, Amneal Pharmaceuticals, made the comparison between glass and CoP as packaging material in his presentation.

“West is looking at opportunities for CZ in India across the product portfolio—including vials, syringes and cartridges,” said Cancelliere. He adds, “We think that our products have significant potential in important healthcare areas such as stem cell research, because of the extreme temperature requirements.”

The pharma industry has traditionally used glass as a primary material for containment systems due to a variety of characteristics that enable a generally safe and efficient drug storage. However, there are many risks associated with glass, including breakage, delamination, physical compatibility with the system components, chemical compatibility with the drug product (resulting in shifts in pH, reduced activity or potency, leachables or active formation of particles). On the other hand, the use of CZ may help overcome these risks. West offers a variety of containment options like Daikyo Crystal Zenith Vial and Syringe Systems, FluroTec barrier film, and NovaPure components.

“As CZ is a premium product, pharma companies should consider the total cost of ownership evaluating CZ,” said Cancelliere. “That being said, West is sensitive to the pricing structure in the Indian market.”

[email protected]