Nippon Electric Glass (NEG) will begin mass production of pharmaceutical glass tubing using an all-electric melting furnace at its subsidiary in Selangor, Malaysia.

NEG said the project was a “world first” and would promote carbon neutrality in the pharmaceutical industry.

By using the company’s all-electric melting furnace technology together with renewable energy, it is possible to reduce CO₂ emissions in the production of pharmaceutical glass tubing by up to 90%.

Masanori Wada, Vice President of Consumer Glass Products Group, said: “The launch of the world's first mass production of pharmaceutical glass tubing using an all-electric melting furnace is a major milestone for us.

“We believe that we can make a significant contribution to the promotion of carbon neutrality in the pharmaceutical industry by supplying high-grade, environmentally friendly products.”

Usually, glass melting is heated by combustion using fossil fuels, but this leads to high CO₂ emissions during melting.

The company’s all-electric melting furnace uses its NEG Electric Melting Technology (NEMT), in which electrodes are inserted into molten glass.

This means the glass is heated and melted directly by an electric current passing through it.

This system offers improved energy efficiency and reduces exhaust heat from combustion gas, contributing greatly to reducing environmental impact.

In addition, NEG’s pharmaceutical glass tubing is made from borosilicate glass, which has high chemical durability.

It is widely used for vials and ampoules, as well as in syringes and cartridges, where demand is expanding, mainly for biopharmaceuticals such as GLP-1 formulations.

The GLP-1 formulation market is growing at approximately 33% per year, and demand for syringes and cartridges is also increasing rapidly.

Growth is expected not only in Europe and the US but also in emerging markets such as India and China.

By building a high-grade and environmentally friendly production system using an all-electric melting furnace, NEG will respond to the needs of the global medical field and lead to further business expansion.