Apparatus and methods for lyophilizing and sealing a medicament within a medical delivery device having an opening. The apparatus may include a stopper for sealing the opening. The stopper may have one or more elongated members extending from a base, in a direction that is parallel to a central axis of the base. One or more of the members may be set radially away from the axis and define a coaxial central well. The member or members may define a void. The elongated member or members may engage a device inner wall and support the base away from the opening. The void may provide gas exchange between a device interior and a device exterior. The gas may be a lyophilization byproduct that escapes from the device interior between the inner wall, the base and the member or members. The stopper may be advanced into the device to seal the opening.

Apparatus and methods for lyophilizing and sealing a medicament within a medical delivery device having an opening. The apparatus may include a stopper for sealing the opening. The stopper may have one or more elongated members extending from a base, in a direction that is parallel to a central axis of the base. One or more of the members may be set radially away from the axis and define a coaxial central well. The member or members may define a void. The elongated member or members may engage a device inner wall and support the base away from the opening. The void may provide gas exchange between a device interior and a device exterior. The gas may be a lyophilization byproduct that escapes from the device interior between the inner wall, the base and the member or members. The stopper may be advanced into the device to seal the opening.

The present invention involves a system and method for monitoring and controlling the aseptic dispensing of a pharmaceutical fluid into containers. The system employs a pharmaceutical fluid dispensing head to dispense droplets of the pharmaceutical fluid along a droplet path into the container and a droplet monitoring system to monitor the droplets produced and dispensed. The volume of at least one droplet is determined based on images of the droplet falling along the droplet path. The volume of pharmaceutical fluid dispensed is determined from the volume of the droplets. The pharmaceutical fluid dispensing head and the droplet monitoring system may be mutually integrated and may be used in systems using different mechanisms for moving containers, including rotary stage systems and robotic arms.

A system is presented for monitoring and controlling in a sterilizable environment the peeling of a cover from a tub sealed by the cover. The system employs a platform having a fiducial source locating structure for holding the tub, a cover removal station disposed to engage with the cover and to peel the cover from the tub, a light source disposed to illuminate a portion of the platform proximate the cover removal station, a light sensor sensitive to light from the light source and disposed to preferentially collect and measure light diffusely reflected from the illuminated portion of the platform, and a controller with software to operate the system. An associated method for monitoring and controlling the peeling of the cover involves moving a peeled portion of the cover into a predetermined peeling monitor zone within the illuminated portion of the platform, and measuring an intensity of light from the light source diffusely reflected specifically from the peeling monitor zone. The positioning of the elements of the system and the peeling monitor zone allow measured light intensity to be employed as a control measure for the peeling process.

A method for producing prick test single use sterile vials for use in a prick test is provided. The method comprises providing at least one allergen source including therewithin allergen extract, providing a plurality of single dose vials, connecting a tube to the at least one allergen source, connecting a metering device to the tube, drawing by the tube an amount of the allergen extract from one of the at least one allergen source, receiving the amount of allergen extract at the metering device, and dispensing by the metering device a volume of allergen extract into one of the plurality of single dose vials.

The present invention relates to a device for vacuum and vent tube stoppering a medical container. The device includes a main body defining an internal volume that has a first variable pressure chamber configured to be connected to a vacuum pump, the main body being configured to receive the proximal end of a medical container so that said medical container is in communication with the first variable pressure chamber. A vent device including a vent tube is moveable inside the internal volume of the main body along a longitudinal axis between a proximal rest position and a distal operative position. A piston rod is moveable inside the internal volume of the vent tube along the longitudinal axis between a proximal rest position and a distal operative position. A container holder system is provided in the main body, in communication with the first variable pressure chamber.

Disposable containers for storing contents, such as food products. The containers include a cover material disposed about a periphery or an outer surface of the container in a folded configuration and deployed, when pulled out by a user, in an amount and shape sufficient to cover at least the opened periphery of the container.

A reconfigurable nest handling system for handling nests of objects arranged in a predetermined pattern is presented and applied to a system for filling nested pharmaceutical containers with a pharmaceutical fluid. In one general aspect, the system comprises a sterilizable chamber containing a planar rotary stage with tub and nest positioning systems that may be reconfigurable for holding differently sized pharmaceutical container tubs and nests and pharmaceutical closure tubs and nests. The chamber has a rotatable cover removal station, a rotatable filling station with a dispenser head, and camera guided vacuum pickup facilities for handling container and closure nests. The vacuum pickup facilities may be reconfigurable for handling differently sized nests. An associated method for filling the containers comprises establishing an aseptic condition within the chamber; removing covers from a container tub and a container closure tub by operating both the rotary stage and the cover removal station. The vacuum pickup facility transfers into the fiducial locating structure a container nest bearing pharmaceutical containers. The fluid is dispensed into the containers by operating both the rotary stage and the filling station. A container closure nest is placed on the container nest in the fiducial locating structure with closures in correspondence with containers. A ram in the chamber forces the closures into the containers.

An assembly fixture device for attaching a vial adapter to a vial includes a base, a support member secured to the base, a handle connected to the support member, a vial adapter grip assembly connected to the handle and comprising an adapter grip member configured to engage and hold a vial adapter, and a vial grip assembly connected to the base comprising first and second grip members that are movable relative to each other and configured to engage and hold a vial. The first grip member is biased toward the second grip member to provide a vial engagement force, where the vial engagement force is about constant when a distance between the first and second grip members is less than 40 mm.

The invention relates to a device for vacuum stoppering a medical container. The device includes a main body defining an internal volume that has a variable pressure chamber configured to be connected to a vacuum pump. A stopper holder system is arranged in communication with the variable pressure chamber and is configured to receive and hold a stopper aligned with the direction of travel of a piston rod. A piston rod is moveable inside the internal volume of the main body along a longitudinal axis between a proximal rest position and a distal operative position wherein the piston rod pushes the stopper into the medical container. A container holder system provided in the main body, is arranged distally relative to the stopper holder system and in communication with the variable pressure chamber.