Körber Pharma deploys Dividella Solution to achieve ‘warp speed’ global scale packaging for COVID-19 vaccines

Grabs, Switzerland: –Parenteral packaging specialist Dividella has brought its modular toploading and monomaterial packaging solutions to the help of organizations trying the meet the challenges of ramping up COVID-19 vaccine production to meet the scale of a global pandemic.

Körber Pharma is rolling out its Dividella Solution to customers around the world, delivering four Dividella NeoTOP cartoner projects for COVID-19 vaccines and therapies to enable pharma/biotech  companies and contract manufacturers to expand production capacities to enable mass production of vaccines from early 2021.

Global challenge

Globally, companies and institutions are under great pressure to develop and deliver vaccines and advanced biological therapies to prevent and treat this latest Coronavirus. Assuming that their vaccine candidates will be approved by the respective authorities, pharma companies have already signed contracts for the short-term delivery of many million doses of the vaccine.

To achieve these goals, pharmaceutical companies need partners who can deliver packaging systems in an unprecedentedly short time. These systems must now be able to package large quantities of vials in multipacks. They must also be flexible enough to handle other product formats, notably prefilled syringes, at a later date.

Operation Warp Speed

Over the coming six months, Körber Pharma Business Area will supply and commission four new Dividella NeoTOP Topload cartoners for several members of Operation Warp Speed, the public-private partnership initiated by U.S. Federal Government to facilitate and accelerate the development, production and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines and therapies (see Resources).

“Körber Pharma is the right partner for this challenge,” declares Peter Grassl, Körber Pharma Packaging Executive Vice President for Sales & Marketing.

“Working closely with customers, we have applied our decades of Pharma knowhow to develop and implement customized COVID-19 solutions in record time while still complying with stringent regulations throughout the world,” Mr. Grassl notes.

“Our customers’ COVID-19 projects are a top priority for us. Together, we’ve developed solutions meeting all of the stringent regulatory requirements around the world. However, the effective application over 40 years of Pharma industry top load solutions experience, know-how in delivering customized projects, harnessing joint customer investments and technology transfer were all decisive factors for the success of the implementation,” he explained.

Monomaterial and modular advantages

The Dividella NeoTOP packaging machines offer a production volume of 45 to 160 cartons per minute, or 1600 vials per minute for a carton of 10. The highly sensitive pharmaceutical products are securely packaged in monomaterial packing with no glass-to-glass contact. The box, with its integrated divider, provides a unique combination of protection and space saving. The modular design of the machines and a wide range of flexible feeding systems enable customers to package other products on the same line following the high-speed production of COVID-19 vaccines.

Dividella’s highly modular approach is also a key advantage in allowing existing NeoTOP production lines to be swiftly adapted to meet CV-19 vaccine packaging needs. In addition to the production and supply of new machines, the Körber Pharma Business Area also manufactures numerous tool sets for existing topload systems. These format parts can be used to convert packaging lines to produce COVID-19 vaccines at any time.

Pharmaceutical companies benefit from the very short delivery times of the machines, the rapid commissioning and Dividella Solutions’ cGMP-compliant production. The cartons, which are accessible from above, are easy to handle and open and the products can be removed easily – even by healthcare workers wearing full protective equipment. The compact cartons are lightweight but provide protection from glass breakage and save costs within cold chain transport systems and on-site storage. The monomaterial carton is also sustainable and avoids the unnecessary use of plastic.

Reducing TCO

“Thanks to the reliability of our systems and their high production speeds, high Overall Equipment Effectiveness and uptime can be achieved; this is essential for the production of a COVID-19 vaccine in sufficient quantities”, says Peter Grassl.

“Post-pandemic, these machines can easily be reconfigured to package other products and pack configurations. All this makes them a long-term investment in the future and reduces the total cost of ownership (TCO). “

Meanwhile Körber are holding talks with other pharmaceutical companies on packaging machines for COVID-19 vaccines and therapies. Peter Grassl is also convinced: “We are also well positioned for other projects to combat the COVID-19 pandemic”.

About Dividella Solutions at Körber Pharma Packaging

Dividella Monomaterial Packaging describe a highly distinctive modular and integrated approach to secondary packaging for the pharmaceutical industry based on specific expertise in integrated and monomaterial solutions and of the packaging requirements for parenteral products. Patented Dividella NeoTOP top-loading and NeoTRAY feeding systems form the basis for solutions that have continually evolved to provide the most up-to-date, patient-friendly and environmentally responsible solutions for parenteral packaging. Dividella provides complete secondary packaging solutions for medicinal products that can be difficult to stack, such as needles, injector pens, vials and syringes. Its top-loading solution enables product handling with extreme care and safety. The companies patented feeding systems guarantee that all products are handled with appropriate care while maintaining high output. The Dividella AG has a proven record of accomplishment in highly innovative and effective solutions for secure and flexible handling and packaging of pharmaceutical products spanning more than four decades. Based in Grabs in the Canton of St. Gallen in eastern Switzerland, the company serves 20 of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies among its clients, including the top ten.

About Körber’s Business Area Pharma

At Körber Pharma, we deliver the difference along the entire pharmaceutical value chain by offering a unique portfolio of integrated solutions. Based on in-depth experience spanning consulting, inspection, transport systems, packaging machines and materials, track and trace and software, we understand the challenges in pharmaceutical processes and regulation that our customers face day to day, from the beginning to the end of their production. For them, we deliver the difference to unlock the potential of global pharmaceutical and biotech manufacturing: www.koerber-pharma.com

About Körber

We are Körber – an international technology group with about 10,000 employees, more than 100 locations worldwide and a common goal: We turn entrepreneurial thinking into customer success and shape technological change. In our five Business Areas Digital, Pharma, Supply Chain, Tissue and Tobacco, we offer products, solutions and services that inspire. We respond quickly to customer needs, we implement ideas seamlessly, and our innovations create added value for our customers. We are increasingly building on ecosystems that solve the challenges of today and tomorrow. Körber AG is the holding company of the Körber Group: www.koerber.com

Resources

Click on Dividella Cartoners for further detail on Dividella product family.
Click on Operation Warp Speed to find out more about US Federal Government OWS CV-19 vaccine development program.
Click on Dividella savings on total TCO and TCP for further information.
Click on Dividella monomaterial advantages for further information.