UV light lifts our spirit, enhances our immune response, and helps us produce vitamin D—a totally positive effect for the human body. However, UV radiation may have a damaging impact on some active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) because they may lose their efficacy due to light irradiation. Micafungin is a case in point. For this highly light-sensitive medication, Schreiner MediPharm developed a special light protection solution—with integrated UV protection and a clever inspection feature.

Micafungin is an antimycotic agent, a medication that is used to treat and prevent invasive fungal infections. The API is filled into vials as a lyophilized powder and serves as a concentrate for infusion solutions. However, transparent glass containers pose special challenges to pharmaceutical manufacturers: they offer no light protection and the medication might be damaged by exposure to light.

With Light Protection Labels specifically designed for the sensitive Micafungin drugs, Schreiner MediPharm offers marking solutions enabling enhanced API protection against UV radiation and light. Each label design is customized to suit the particular container and to meet the product’s specific light and light protection requirements. Examples of available options include a label using an opaque material that delivers full protection against light in the covered areas. The vial content can be checked through a resealable inspection window (see picture of Light Protection Level 3). Other design versions for visual inspection are label-integrated transparent or resealable, semi-transparent colored windows that can also offer enhanced protection against UV rays and blue light (see pictures of Light Protection Levels 1 and 2).

The development of reliable labels for vials containing light-sensitive active ingredients requires in-depth know-how of materials, adhesives, and printing technologies. As an expert in high-grade functional labels Schreiner Medi-Pharm can additionally draw on extensive tests of light protection properties to design customized and application-specific solutions.