Investigation on postirradiation stability of pharmaceutical raw materials and ointments

As part of their studies into the feasibility of using radiation in the pharmaceutical industry for the purpose of sterilization or lowering the level of microbiological contamination, the author have conducted experiments with 50 kinds of pharmacological products including 40 types of raw materials and 10 types of preparations (mainly ointments) and model formulae. The samples studied may be grouped as follows: effective substances (glucocorticoids, antibiotics, etcor); biochemical products; auxiliary materials used in ointments, tablets, etc.; ointments, primarily those used in ophthalmology. Physical, chemical, and, in some cases, biochemical factors were considered in relation to radiation tolerance. Most of the samples were also subjected to detailed microbiological study. It is concluded that radiosterilization is a promising method as regards the products investigated. (auth.)