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MSMEs underscore indispensability of compressed air for drug quality as revised Schedule M deadline nears
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Nandita Vijayasimha, Bengaluru
September 02 , 2025
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Indian pharma MSMEs are increasingly highlighting the critical role of compressed air systems in maintaining drug quality, safety, and manufacturing efficiency. In the wake of the December 31, 2025 deadline for revised Schedule M compliance, many MSMEs are under pressure to upgrade infrastructure and adopt stringent quality control measures, especially in utilities such as compressed air, which is often treated as a peripheral element.
According to Deepesh Upadhyay, assistant vice president, Delair India, the government is pledging to demonstrate zero tolerance towards substandard drugs, and complying with revised Schedule M in alignment with Good Manufacturing Practices has become mandatory for the pharma industry. In this pursuit of promoting production of safe, effective, and superior-quality drugs, industry players should conform to strict hygiene standards outlined by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
To achieve the purpose, mitigating the moisture throughout the processing, manufacturing, and packaging of pharmaceutical products should be prioritized. Moisture can come into contact with pharma products through compressed air, which finds application in various operations. Compressed air is essential for powering pneumatic operations to conduct mixing, granulation, drying, pressing, coating, packaging, and many other processes. The presence of moisture in the pressurized air jeopardizes the tablet compression and coating processes. Given that the pharma materials are hygroscopic in nature, the powdered materials undergo lumping and caking by absorbing moisture, compromising the entire tableting process, he added.
In addition to this, moisture also alters the colour, smell, and taste of the medicines. It causes blisters in the tablets, leading to their breakage and uneven coating in the process. Altogether, moisture triggers decomposition of the drugs, making them unsuitable for consumption and reducing their medicinal value at the same time. To address the issue, employing compressed air dryers comes to the rescue in providing quality air solutions for supplying pure compressed air, free from moisture and contaminants, Upadhyay told Pharmabiz.
The dryers perform treatment of compressed air to drive the elimination of harmful contaminants and impurities such as water/moisture, dust particles, oil, and solid contaminants from the air. Along with this, making use of advanced features, the dryers are well adept at optimizing the resource utilization for significantly minimizing the energy consumption of pneumatic systems. Additionally, the incorporation of innovative systems into the dryers steers the accurate management of energy-saving drying cycles.
The Dew Point Based Dependence Systems (DPDS) further contribute to huge energy savings by supporting purge optimization to extend the regeneration cycle time aimed at curtailing the purge losses. Simultaneously, the automatic condensate management and differential pressure gauges are proficient at conducting advanced filtration for mitigating dust, oil aerosols, and vapours, thereby guaranteeing highly pure and reliable compressed air, he noted.
With substandard medicines being ineffective in curing the disease, it is essential for pharma players to comply with revised Schedule M to preserve the quality and safety of drugs manufactured in the country. Along similar lines, deploying compressed air dryers becomes essential to abate the moisture woes plaguing the sector and promote the manufacturing of the highest quality medicines that can reinforce the positioning of Indian pharma in the international market as well, said Upadhyay.
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