Infusion for Togo: How Sterile Technologies help Africa's Developing Pharma Industry

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Sterilization by hot-water shower

The sterilizer was developed especially for sterilizing 100 percent closed containers using the hot water shower process. This process has the advantage of allowing containers with temperature-sensitive liquids to be gently sterilized within short cycles. The intravenous solutions in polyethylene bottles are sterilized at 108 degrees Celsius. The sterilizer has a capacity of 9,500 bottles with a volume of 500 milliliters each, which are manually loaded into stacking trays and transferred to the sterilizer on an automatic roller conveyor.

SBM delivered the machine to Togo in late 2013. While installing the system, the project team truly came to understand the challenges that Dr Dovi-Akué and his colleagues must face on a daily basis. Simple materials were either not available or only at very high prices. This meant that some urgently required materials needed to be ordered from Europe and sent to Togo.

Additional Information

Background

Isa Alkan, Sales Director at Schöller-Bleckmann Medizintechnik, a Bosch Packaging Technology company

? Mr. Alkan, you were closely involved in the project with Do Pharma. How did you experience the circumstances on site?

Alkan: Many things we take for granted are a big challenge in Togo. It was and still is very impressive for me to see with which talent for improvisation tools and materials for instance are procured. The patience in facing hardly imaginable financial hurdles of the local banks is just as impressive. The next important step will consist in training the local team extensively, and accompanying them during the starting phase. We are proud to be able to contribute to medical care in West Africa with this project.

? Which factors predetermine the selected model for the extreme climatic conditions in West Africa?

Alkan: Most production in Africa also takes place under controlled conditions and at good quality standards, as is the case with this project. Since the room climate is controlled according to the requested cleanroom class, and the air is cleaned, the local climate actually doesn’t play such an important role. The selected process of hot water shower sterilization is the optimum one in terms of energy consumption and efficiency for Do Pharma’s production plans. Hence it is the product to be produced and less the external factors that influence this decision.

? Were special adaptations required when designing the machine?

Alkan: The adaptations depended less on the climate in the country. They were rather due to the project course and the qualification of available staff. We consciously decided against the far-spread manual transportation into the sterilizer. Instead we installed a more cost-intensive, fully automated conveyor in order to prevent a possible contamination of the plant.

Production nearly ready to start

“The entire project took a long time, primarily due to the financing hurdles that we had to overcome. But now we have accomplished most of what was needed,” says Dr Dovi-Akué. This year the qualification and validation of the line should be completed, and production of intravenous solutions can begin. In the medium-term, Do Pharma is also planning to manufacture fever-reducing medications and antibiotics. “SBM provided us with excellent support throughout the process and continues to help out today. We will certainly keep the company in mind as we expand the project,” Dr Dovi-Akué concludes.

* * The author is Sales Director at Schöller-Bleckmann Medizintechnik, a Bosch Packaging Technology Company.

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Sterile Packaging in Africa

Infusion for Togo: How Sterile Technologies help Africa's Developing Pharma Industry

Sterilization by hot-water shower

Production nearly ready to start