Whitepaper: Head-to-head comparison of hydrogen peroxide and steam sterilisation

The pharmaceutical industry is increasingly using different sterilisation technologies rather than steam sterilisation. This increase is driven by the need for sterilising thermo-labile products or areas that cannot be dimensioned as a pressure vessel (barrier systems such as Closed Restricted Access Areas or Isolators), under “softer” conditions.

However, the reliability and repeatability of this process are compromised by the complexity of using a vapor phase compound that requires homogeneity (material, temperature, pressure, moisture), in order to ensure sterility.

Sterilisation is any process that ensures that no viable microorganisms are present in the object or area to be decontaminated. The pharmacopoeia standards generally accept that a reduction of 99,9999 percent in the living population, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, spores and prions, can be considered as sterilisation.