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Late in 2020, the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) added a new test method for determining the moisture vapor transmission rate (MVTR) of single-unit and unit-dose container closure systems, such as blisters, to General Chapter <671> Containers-Performance Testing. This method uses water-filled blister packs instead of desiccant-filled ones, which has been the standard test method since the 1970s.

A few of the benefits of the new water-filled test method include:

• The results are more reliable because test containers filled with water provide a constant vapor-pressure difference across test container walls, offering improvements in MVTR testing compared to desiccant-filled containers where the vapor pressure inside may neither start nor remain below 0% to 10% RH.

• Samples are easier to prepare because filling with water is easier than filling with desiccant.

• Samples last longer and can be reused.

The water-filled test method for blisters became effective December 1, 2020. Now that the method has been available for more than a year, we’d like to gauge industry’s response.

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