pharmaceutical cleaning

Q. I’ve been told that we should no longer use isopropyl alcohol for cleaning our pharmaceutical equipment. What should we use instead?

A. In pharmaceutical cleaning applications, isopropyl alcohol (IPA) is less than ideal. Alcohol will clean residues which are soluble in alcohol, but that is a limited range.  Using critical cleaning, aqueous detergents are a far more robust and will allow for more effective cleaning processes.

Q. We manufacture vitamins, which include minerals (calcium, magnesium etc.) and have found that Citranox is very effective in cleaning the residue left in our equipment. Unfortunately, we have learned that the pH of Citranox is too low for our local requirements. Do you have another detergent with a higher pH that would work equally as well?

Q: How can we clean residual deodorant from our stainless steel tanks? It is proving very difficult. It is largely AlCl3.

A: Deodorant, designed to stay in place for obvious reasons, can be quite adherent on processing equipment. If it stays on skin for extended periods, which is designed to avoid residues, imagine what it does to stainless steel!

Mike Auerbach, Editor and Chief of American Pharmaceutical Review, spoke to Michael Moussourakis, Senior Director, Strategic Affairs at Alconox Inc. They discussed the unique cleaning challenges facing Pharmaceutical, Cosmetic and Cannabis manufacturers and the innovative solutions offered by Alconox Inc.…

Meet cGMP regulations and stringent cleaning validation standards with CIP detergents from Alconox Inc. Whether you use single pass or recirculation systems, Alconox can provide a detergent ideally suited for your CIP system. Click to watch our latest video to learn best practices for Clean in Place and how to choose the right CIP detergent for your application.