落
ANTIMOTES &
A NEW ANTIBIOTICS FACTORY
Architects: Chau & Lee
a
A new kind of factory is now being protect the products from contamina- high-pressure, low-temperature hand- erected at Tin Wan Street, which in- tion by dust and bacteria, the internal ling of the bulk antibiotics, and dicates the increasing interest Ameri- lay-out is complicated and a technical Koch oven for the "dry heat" treat- cans are taking in Hongkong, with expert from the United States, Mr. ment of the containers, are set in a low-cost skilled labour and its W. C. Stoll, has come to Hongkong dividing wall which separates the non- conveniently situated communica- in an advisory capacity and to super- sterile rear part of the top floor from tion facilities, as a distribution cen- intend the installation of the plant. the aseptic sub-dividing room. This tre for the Far East.
The basic flow of operations be- large room, 60' x 62', is kept as dust- This building belongs to Antibio- gins at the ground floor with the ar- free and germ-free as possible. Air, tics, Ltd., local company which rival of raw materials bulk antibio- conditioned to a humidity of 50%, is has an agreement with the world- tics, containers, stoppers, seals, la- pumped into it at slightly above at- famous U.S. pharmaceutical firm of bels, cartons etc. which are stored in mospheric pressure. Merck, Sharpe & Dohme, Inc. to pre- a receiving godown. There is special and exits are guarded by air-locks pare and package here a wide variety apparatus on this floor for washing with ultra-violet light "curtains" of penicillin and streptomycin pro- the vials and closures in chemical- kili bacteria. All workers employed in ducts. These will then be sold through iy-pure de-ionized water so that they dressed in sterile clothing before they it are given a "surgical scrub" and Merck, Sharpe & Dohme (Interna- will be free from extraneous matter dressed in sterile clothing before they tional)'s Asian office, which is also when they are sterilized. A feature located in the Colony.
a
The materials used will come the United States in bulk, and cessing them here will effect a considerable saving in freight other charges.
enter.
The entrances
to
of this de-ionized water system is the Products and containers enter from non-corrosive Speedline stainless steel through the autoclave and oven and pro- piping employed, which is new even are placed in a cooling chamber, from very
in the United States. This light thin- which they are transferred to filling and walled tubing is easy to install since machines in which they are strongly it is joined by interior expansion in- irradiated by ultra-violet light. The stead of by welding or screwing. operators who handle the filling do so from outside these machines, watch- From this floor a cargo lift serves storey structure, but due to the high the upper floors. Antibiotics, their cost of land in Hongkong it was de- containers, and stoppers go to the cided to make the factory at Aber- rear part of the top floor where they deen a modified four-storey version. are passed through sterilizers into a through Owing to the processes involved and special "sterile sub-dividing room. wall. are metal-sealed, packed in the very strict safeguards required to These sterilizers, an autoclave for the
Usually a plant of this kind in America is housed in a standard two-
EK. NULLAN
LOBBY
JOLOVE WALMER
GRD. FL. PLAN
Jurapoda WASHER
ANIMALS.
ROOM
WAREHOUSE
WASH ROOM
MACHINE
ROOM
LAV.
HOT
ULTERI
TAME
VIZIONIZER
WATER
SAND FALL
BOILER ROOM
Z BOUNDARY
LINE
WALL
RETAINING
SEX.
BOUNDARY
LINE
2)
ing their manipulation through pro- tective glass windows.
The containers then pass back an airlock in the dividing
batches and transferred down by the lift to the labelling and packaging room on the second floor. There they are commercially packed and sent on down to the "bonded" out- ward goods storage godown on the ground floor.
The extreme precautions taken to ensure aseptic conditions in the top- floor sterile subdividing area neces- sitate workers entering by the second floor of the building from the staircase. From this they pass along
rear
a corridor, to locker rooms in the front
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