Vacuum Pressure is used in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing to: 

• Help create bulk and active ingredients for FDA approved drug products
• Increase the shelf-life of a drug product
• Sterilize medical devices 

Lyophilization, also known as freeze drying, is a process used for preserving biological material by removing the water from the sample, which involves first freezing the sample and then drying it, under a vacuum, at very low temperatures. The low pressure environment helps minimize oxidation during drying.

Lyophilized samples may be stored much longer than untreated samples. The resulting precipitate is a shelf-stable powder. This powdered drug is later reconstituted at point of care for patient use.

Vacuum Drying: Another way vacuum instrumentation is used in the pharmaceutical industry is in vacuum ovens. Vacuum devices are chosen based on the range required for a specific application and are used to measure and/or control vacuum pressure during the process. 

Vacuum ovens applications include: removal of moisture or dehydration, out gassing, bake-out, and to prevent reactions. They are important tools in the medical field for sterilization of medical devices, as well as glassware for research purposes.

Vacuum drying helps to maintain the integrity of the original item without damaging it with heat since drying can be accomplished at a lower temperature while under pressure. This is valuable for food and pharmaceutical processing since other drying processes can degrade the quality and/or make heat-sensitive drug products (Parikh, D, 2015). 

Although all drying techniques share a common objective (i.e., dehydration), conceptually they are different and require modification/adaptation based on the properties of the compound being processed. 

For high value products, like pharmaceuticals, the cost of the raw ingredient may be the primary driver for the selection of the processing method. The majority of pharmaceutical compounds are susceptible to stresses that develop during freezing and drying.

Formulations undergoing freeze‐drying can be sensitive to deviations in temperature and chamber pressure, which may be exacerbated in a freeze dryer with poor temperature and chamber pressure control, thereby leading to additional losses in process efficiency as well as poor product appearance and quality attributes.