Pharmaceutical and biological customers can benefit from an extended supplier offering for their fill-finish lines and from a faster drug product time-to-market

 Piombino Dese, Padua, Italy, and Auburn, Alabama, U.S.A. - February 6, 2019 - Stevanato Group, through Ompi, its specialist in glass primary packaging for the pharmaceutical industry, and SiO2 Medical Products, Inc. (“SMP”) jointly announce today a collaboration agreement.

The agreement will enable pharmaceutical and biologics customers, contract filling organizations, and research laboratories to receive SMP's proprietary primary containers in Ompi’s industry-recognized EZ-fill® packaging configurations in trays and nest & tubs.

SiO2 Medical Products, Inc., a privately-owned company, develops and manufactures precision-molded containers composed of engineered polymers, such as cyclic olefin polymer (COP), and incorporates a thin, transparent, silicon-based coating system composed of organosiloxane and silica nano-layers, which can also incorporate distinct surface properties. This new and patented coating system provides the durability and dimensional consistency of plastics with the oxygen barrier properties, ultra-low extractables, and pH stability of silica glass (i.e., quartz). Bringing together the best qualities of both plastics and glass containers, without their respective drawbacks, presents an innovative approach to primary packaging.

SMP’s primary containers supplied in Ompi’s industry-known packaging configurations readily integrate with existing fill-finish processing lines and accelerate the commercialization of pharmaceuticals and biologics. EZ-fill® trays and nest & tubs are designed to mitigate the risk of breakages, cosmetic issues, and particulate generation. Validated to be shipped in quantities as low as a single carton, Ompi EZ-fill® offers a solution that can be extended from the clinical trial stage through to industrialization.

Andrea Zambon, Marketing Director – Pharmaceutical Systems Division, Stevanato Group, said: "With the agreement with SMP, Ompi further strengthens its EZ-fill® technology leadership and market positioning in secondary packaging. Thanks to our flexible, easy to use, and lean solution, clients can immediately integrate the EZ-fill® packaging into their fill-finish lines to commercialize their therapies in the primary container of their choice, now including SMP’s proprietary primary containers.”

Robert S. Abrams, Founder, CEO and Chairman of SMP, said: "We look forward to working with Ompi to fast-track the packaging, transportation, supply, and integration of SMP’s primary containers with existing fill-finish lines. Ompi’s industry-recognized EZ-fill® packaging configurations are often requested by our customers, and we are pleased to collaborate to make that request a reality.”

About Stevanato Group:

Established in 1949, Stevanato Group is the world’s largest, privately-owned designer and producer of glass primary packaging for the pharmaceutical industry. From its outset, the Group has developed its own glass converting technology to ensure the highest standards of quality. The Group comprises a wide set of capabilities dedicated to serving the biopharmaceutical and diagnostic industries: from glass containers with its historical brand Ompi, to high-precision plastic diagnostic and medical components, to contract manufacturing for drug delivery devices, to vision inspection systems, assembly, and packaging equipment. The Group also provides analytical and testing services to study container closure integrity and integration into drug delivery devices, streamlining the drug development process. Thanks to its unique approach as a one-stop-shop, Stevanato Group is able to offer an unprecedented set of solutions to biopharma companies for a faster time to market and a reduced total cost of ownership.

For more information, visit www.stevanatogroup.com.

About SiO2 Medical Products, Inc.:

 SiO2 Medical Products, Inc. ("SMP“) is a U.S. based, privately-held company founded in 2011. SMP has successfully developed and commercialized a wide range of novel products for use in pharmaceutical packaging, labware, and consumable applications. Using the well-known process of Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD), the SMP team has developed proprietary technology to apply thin, transparent coatings or plasma treatments to a broad range of medical devices. The resulting plasma coated medical devices possess outstanding barrier properties, while plasma treated surfaces have ultra-low protein/peptide binding capabilities. SMP is headquartered and has a state-of-the-art, 160,000 sq. ft. manufacturing and R&D facility in Auburn, Alabama; with sales, marketing, legal, and project management capabilities based out of offices near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

For more information, visit www.sio2med.com.