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All,
How many visible particles i.e. stopper fragments are acceptable when performing a puncture study on a sterile injectable drug product? The release/stability appearance specification is "essentially free from particles". USP<381> defines NMT 5 fragments on 12 vials with 4 punctures each. During the in-use puncture study, stopper fragments are visible in the vial after X punctures. In order to state a label puncture limit, do we have to comply with the appearance specification of "essentially free from visible particles"? If so, what is the quantity of "essentially free"?
Thank you for the help.