If you go back in time, hygienic practices were never even heard of, much less carried out. Medicines were mostly made from plants and whatever else was available and even, during the Victorian period, when pharmaceuticals became more common, they weren’t too concerned about the sterility of compounds.
Today, of course, pharmaceuticals are big business and having a product delivered to a patient sterile and ready to use is the norm. We’re talking about eye drops, ear drops, injectables, infusions, and the like, all of which must remain sterile until ready to use.
By definition, something that is sterile has the absence of any viable microorganisms, and the specification is unalterable and independent of the process of manufacturing the drug in the first place. Making a product sterile, then, means filling and sealing product containers under high-quality environmental conditions, with care and with the same practices in place day in and day out.
When it comes to food, beverages, and medications, keeping them sterile is a process called aseptic processing. This means that the sterile product is packaged in such a way as to maintain its sterility index. It is achieved through instant heating that uses less energy than other techniques while (in the case of food) retaining more nutrients. When it comes to pharmaceuticals, the ante is up and the procedure also includes the use of clean rooms, bacteria-retaining filters, and dry or steam heat.
Some examples of food and beverages that are in a sterile container include tetrajuice boxes and beverage pouches, but for medications, they are stored in plastic or glass containers, as these materials form an airtight seal against microbiological organisms, contaminants, and bacteria. degradation of the substance being processed. transported. The use of aseptic processing means that it no longer needs refrigeration and makes importing and exporting around the world safe and economical.
Aseptic containers range in size from the smallest holding just a few ounces of medication to those that can hold eight million gallons in a tank on an ocean liner. The companies that package these drugs and the like can ship their product around the world, knowing that once it reaches its destination, it remains a viable sterile product and will remain so until used for a patient.
The next time you have a prescription for eye drops or are given medications by injection or drip, you can rest assured that those medications are sterile, all thanks to aseptic processing.