The Single-dose eye drops, history of a project

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SINGLE-DOSE EYE DROPS

History of a Project

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LA REALIZZAZIONE

The technology and the patent of the "single-dose reclosable eye drops without preservatives" bear the name Farmigea and is the result of an extraordinary vision that the company had in the early 1980s.

It was not easy to invest in a new and revolutionary technology that still is the reference for the production of single-dose eye drops. But today we can say that it was a bet won, despite the initial perplexity of many people and the difficulties, especially in the choice of the plastic material suitable for maintaining the sterility of the product and in making large scale production possible. And it was the result of an extraordinary team effort of the whole company.

THE IDEA

In the late seventies, Alberto and Leopoldo Federighi asked the research department of Farmigea to develop the first draft of their idea of a sterile single-dose container suitable for containing preservative-free eye drops.

The first technical projects suitable were drawn up, focusing on the shape of the container, which is now become characteristic with the two side flaps. The innovative design suits industrial production needs while being really easy to use and to reclose safety, reaching all the idea's goals.

The realization

Found the right shape, it was necessary to identify the best plastic material and develop the filling system with all the requirements that pharmaceutical manufacture requires, moreover in a sterile environment.

Farmigea made a great effort, both in economic terms and in terms of hours and days of research, to finalize the project and to equip the new production line. Up to 1983, when the "mini-container single-dose or multi-dose of pharmaceutical products" was patented. The patent was filed as a "utility model" and as an "ornamental design model".

From the beginning, it was clear that single-dose would become a standard not only in Italy but all over the world. So Farmigea decided to extend the patent to the other countries such as Benelux, England, Germany, France, Japan, Switzerland and the USA

In the original technical report of the Single-dose, the study phases are discovered starting from the choice of producing sticks of 5 containers rather than a single one, whit the advantage of "increasing productivity of filling and all other operations up to packaging compared to the single container". Or, the new technology had a "cost less than half of a normal container for eye drops". From the packaging point of view, the Farmigea technicians also studied a system capable of operating "with only three operators".

THE DIFFUSION

The production of the Farmigea single-dose eye drop began immediately, and the innovative features made it clear that it would be only a matter of time, and the new system would become a "standard". A standard not only for Farmigea brand products but also for the other ophthalmic companies.

And everything after a dinner on the Roman coast between Farmigea managers and the managers of other Italian pharmaceutical companies, in which the new technology was explained. The interest was immediate, but before adopting it, the other companies made a series of inspections in the Pisa plant, especially for the concern that the vials could really keep the sterility.

Inspections that Farmigea passed without any problem. And from that moment the new single-dose products are a point of reference in ophthalmology.