Aptar Active Material Science patents pharma packaging technology
Key takeaways
- Aptar Active Material Science has secured a US patent for its N-Sorb technology, designed to reduce nitrosamine impurities in pharmaceutical packaging.
- The technology can be used across blister packs, bottles, drop-in solutions, and film-based structures without changing drug formulations or manufacturing processes.
- Aptar says the patent strengthens regulatory and commercial opportunities for pharmaceutical partners while supporting product integrity and patient safety.
Aptar Active Material Science, part of AptarGroup, has secured a US patent for its N-Sorb technology to reduce nitrosamine impurities associated with packaging pharmaceuticals.
According to the European Medicines Agency, nitrosamine impurities are classified as probable human carcinogens that may form during the manufacture of medicines.
The N-Sorb technology patent includes proprietary material composition and validated reduction of nitrosamines across multiple active pharmaceutical ingredients known to exhibit nitrosamine vulnerability, Aptar outlines.
“This milestone marks a shift in how the industry can address nitrosamine risk,” says Badre Hammond, VP of Global Commercial Operations and general manager at APAC for Aptar Active Material Science.
Mitigating risk during packing
Aptar says N-Sorb brings together advanced material science and demonstrated drug product performance within a single IP framework.
“That combination creates a lever for our pharmaceutical partners to mitigate risk and establish differentiated regulatory and commercial positions [for example, an Orange Book listing]. This is a platform innovation with broad implications for product integrity, lifecycle management, and patient safety,” the company says.
The N-Sorb technology can be deployed across packaging configurations, such as blister systems, bottle formats (including drop-in solutions), and film-based structures, according to the company.
Aptar adds that packagers can integrate the technology without introducing changes to the formulation or manufacturing processes.
Previously, N-Sorb was accepted to the US Food & Drug Administration’s Emerging Technology Program to identify and address technical and regulatory issues in novel technologies prior to regulatory submission.
Aptar Active Material Science specializes in drug delivery, dosing, and protection technologies, and consumer product dispensing. The company offers services from concept ideation, design, and engineering, to product development, global production, quality control, and regulatory support.
In other pharmaceutical packaging news, UPM recently launched adhesives for medical products, CCT expanded its reusable parcels for medicine distribution across Europe, and Amcor invested in its pharmaceutical packaging capabilities in India and Malaysia.
At Interpack 2026, Syntegon introduced its new aseptic liquid filling line for the packaging of pharmaceuticals.
