Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) has proven to be a safe and cost-efficient alternative when it comes to sterilants on today’s market. NO₂ is capable of sterilizing at ultra-low temperature and is safe to use in-house, cutting down on inventory carrying costs and overall manufacturing time.

Compared to other sterilization methods, NO₂ does not leave harmful residuals behind that could be cytotoxic. 

Pre-filled syringes and drug-delivery products administered in the sterile field and drugs with specific indications benefit most from NO₂ sterilization. In two recent studies comparing NO₂, EO and H₂O₂, results indicate the NO₂ sterilizes the exterior of the delivery system (pre-filled syringe, auto-injector, etc.) without impacting drug integrity.

Many pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device companies send their products off-site to contract sterilizers. This may take 1-4 weeks. In addition to inventory carrying costs, companies pay for sterilization and shipping to and from the contract sterilization site. In today’s environment, shipping and the duration add additional risk to the supply chain. With NO₂, companies have a real option to safely bring sterilization into their own manufacturing facilities or a contract manufacturing organization (CMO). The sterilization cycle may be 6-10 hours, including aeration, and significantly reduce the risk, as well as total manufacturing time and cost.