Method and device for optimized freeze-drying of a pharmaceutical product

Abstract

A method for lyophilizing a substance is provided which may include placing at least one vial containing the substance in a lyophilization chamber, the at least one vial having an opening in which a stopper is inserted in a closed state not allowing gas exchange between the interior and exterior of the vial; providing mechanical means external to the stopper and arranged at the opening for restricting an upward movement of the stopper; lowering the temperature within the lyophilization chamber to a predefined value below the freezing temperature of the substance and reducing the pressure within the lyophilization chamber to a predefined pressure at a predefined temperature, the predefined pressure being chosen such that the force exerted by it on the stopper lifts the stopper from the closed state to an exchange state in which the stopper is only partly inserted in the opening of the vial allowing gas exchange between the interior and exterior of the vial, wherein the lowering of the temperature within the lyophilization chamber to the predefined value is performed before reducing the pressure within the lyophilization chamber to the predefined pressure and wherein lifting the stopper from the closed state abruptly lowers the pressure within the at least one vial which initiates nucleation in the substance within that vial. In addition, mechanical means is provided which may be used in order to perform the method for lyophilizing a substance.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.