Wilmington, Mass. and Schaffhausen, Switzerland (November 26, 2007) - Advanced Electron Beams (AEB) today announced Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Cilag AG is leveraging AEB's revolutionary compact electron beams in its next-generation electron beam sterilization tunnel. Manufactured by Metall + Plastic GmbH, Radolfzell, Germany, this fully automated, GAMP-compatible electron beam tunnel disinfects the outer surface of tubs containing prefillable syringes in Cilag's filling line and provides validated log 6 bioburden reduction at production throughputs. The unit has successfully passed Operational Qualification and Performance Qualification and is gearing up for volume manufacturing.
Until recently, pharmaceutical manufacturers have had to rely on some combination of laminar flow, alcohol wipe down, vaporized hydrogen peroxide, or UV-C light to reduce incoming bioburden to barrier isolator filling lines. These conventional approaches suffer from inconsistency, low kill rates, and long cycle times that are incompatible with pharmaceutical manufacturing requirements. Electron beams offer superior kill rates, demonstrated on bacterial spores and validated with thin film dosimetry that represents a leap forward in risk management.
To learn more about this next-generation approach to disinfection and sterilization, please visit Advanced Electron Beams at http://www.aeb.com/.
About Advanced Electron Beams
Advanced Electron Beams (AEB) has developed one of the world's most efficient and clean forms of industrial energy. AEB captures the power of electron beams in a cost-effective, compact form factor, enabling customers to use this clean energy source in industrial applications ranging from surface sterilization to pollution abatement to printing and polymer treatment and beyond. As a result, these customers are improving productivity, developing new products and processes, and reducing their dependency on energy sources and chemicals that result in pollution. Based in Wilmington, Mass., AEB is backed by top-tier investors Atlas Venture, General Catalyst and RockPort Capital. For more information about AEB, please visit: www.aeb.com.