Could Honeywell’s glass bottles alternative help COVID-19 vaccine distribution?

Even as a host of companies rush to create COVID-19 vaccines, there’s another looming challenge: how to safely and quickly distribute them.

Officials at Honeywell (NYSE:HON) think they have one potential solution with their Aclar Edge bottles and vials, touted as a safer alternative to glass packaging for pharmaceutical products.

Kori Anderson, Honeywell’s healthcare packaging GM, recently provided some extra information to Pharmaceutical Processing World about Aclar Edge and how it could enable better management of the coronavirus:

PPW: Briefly describe the tech behind Aclar Edge bottles and vials.

Anderson: Aclar Edge is an innovative pharmaceutical packaging solution for oral liquids for human health and sterile injectables for animal health applications. Designed with Honeywell’s novel and proprietary multi-layer extrusion blow molding technology, Aclar Edge bottles and vials preserve shelf-life and efficacy for a large variety of challenging liquid dosage forms while significantly improving user safety during the handling and administration. The initial portfolio of Aclar Edge bottles and vials range in sizes from 100 ml to 500 ml and can be configured in threaded or crimped finish.

PPW: What kind of technological challenges did Honeywell have to overcome to create Aclar Edge?

Anderson: We had to find a way to make Aclar Edge economical in larger volumes, and minimize costs. This was accomplished by using a multilayer container that incorporates a sufficient amount of polychlorotrifluoroethylene (PCTFE) fluoropolymer technology.

PPW: Why is a glass bottle alternative important amid the COVID-19 pandemic?

Anderson: Safety is paramount in the production and administration of the COVID-19 vaccine. Aclar Edge offers significant operational advantages by eliminating glass breakage, minimizing drug particulate contamination and reducing transportation costs. Ultimately, we will provide an option that is safer to patients, and one that brings value to pharmaceutical companies with reduced breakage, and improved stability and shelf life of the medicine.

In addition, the demand for glass vials for vaccine packaging may allow us to find areas in the supply chain that experience shortages, and provide our alternative solution to service these therapies.

PPW: Overall, what are the top problems that need to be addressed to quickly and widely distribute a COVID-19 vaccine? And how is Honeywell helping to address the problem?

Anderson: There are many variables that need to be addressed, including general shipping and freight issues with temperature control to ensure the stability and efficacy of the vaccine. The sheer numbers for the vaccine could stress the supply chain to the max. We need to prioritize who receives this vaccine first, and establish manufacturing capacity for the vaccine, as well as contingency planning. It’s important for pharmaceutical companies to develop a back-up plan. We see Aclar Edge as a solution to alleviate those constraints.