Clariant, a world leader in specialty chemicals, with its healthcare packaging business unit, has announced that the company to introduce Tri-Sorb molecular sieve desiccant tablets specifically designed for USP <671> moisture permeability testing at several upcoming industry events.

The new tablets have been developed for pharmaceutical and nutraceutical packagers who are conducting moisture-permeation testing of unit-dose blister packaging as prescribed in USP <671>. The Tri-Sorb tablets are designed for placement into blister headspaces, either singly or in multiples, in lieu of the actual drug product, where they are used to test and verify the moisture vapor transmission rate, or MTVR, of blister packaging according to the USP standard.

The tablets are packaged in quantities suitable for laboratory testing applications, with 320-350 tablets, depending on tablet size, in each re-sealable barrier pouch. To ensure product integrity and moisture adsorbtion capacity, Tri-Sorb desiccant tablets are not repackaged by a third party, but packaged directly on-site as part of the manufacturing process.

“Pharmaceutical manufacturers depend heavily on the results of USP <671> testing to ensure that their drug packaging consistently achieves its specified MVTR,” says Audrey Pouliquen, product manager, Clariant Healthcare Packaging. “Clariant has developed this line of desiccant tablets to specifically meet the requirements for this essential test.”

Tri-Sorb tablets are made from 4A molecular sieve and are available in three sizes: 0.125g, 0.25g and 0.37g. Similar Tri-Sorb tablets are also widely used in the packaging of medical devices and rapid diagnostic tests, where they protect functionality, accuracy, and shelf life from being compromised by moisture.

Complete product performance information and samples are available by contacting Clariant at healthpack.clariant.com. Product experts will be available to discuss the newly launched tablets at the following upcoming pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industry events: