Hospira Bacteriostatic Water is a sterile, non-pyrogenic preparation of water for injection USP preserved with 0.9% (9 mg/mL) benzyl alcohol. Manufactured by Hospira, a Pfizer company, it is supplied in a 30ml multiple-dose vial for use as a diluent in laboratory reconstitution work.
Bacteriostatic Preservative
Contains 0.9% benzyl alcohol, which inhibits bacterial growth and allows the vial to be entered more than once over a working period.
Peptide Reconstitution
The standard diluent used in laboratory settings to reconstitute lyophilized research peptides prior to analytical work.
30ml Multiple-Dose Vial
Provides substantially more working volume than a standard 10ml presentation, suited to preparing multiple vials or larger quantities.
USP Grade
Water for injection USP, sterile and non-pyrogenic, stored at controlled room temperature between 20°C and 25°C.
Bacteriostatic Water for Injection USP is water for injection plus benzyl alcohol, typically 0.9% (9 mg/mL), as a bacteriostatic preservative. Label pH is around 5.7. There is no buffer, no salt and no tonicity agent.
The preservative is the entire point: it inhibits bacterial growth between withdrawals, which is what makes a multiple-dose container defensible where sterile water — single-dose, unpreserved — is not.
Two things the label says that are worth knowing
The label carries a boxed warning: not for use in neonates, because of benzyl alcohol toxicity in that population. It also instructs that the product be made approximately isotonic before use — it is a solvent, not a vehicle, and whatever you dissolve in it sets the tonicity of the final solution.
The 28-day figure often quoted after first puncture comes from general multiple-dose-vial convention rather than from this label, which states no interval. Treat it as a conservative working convention.
What ships, and what is on the certificate
The vial ships sealed as it was filled. Every compound in the catalogue is tested by an outside laboratory — Vanguard Laboratory in Olympia, Washington — and the certificate is published in full rather than summarised.
The certificate reports chromatographic purity by HPLC with the chromatogram visible, the measured quantity in milligrams, and an endotoxin result by LAL. Measured quantity usually reads slightly above the label, which is normal: fills are targeted high so every vial meets its stated content.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between bacteriostatic and sterile water?
Sterile water has no preservative and comes in single-dose containers. Bacteriostatic water contains benzyl alcohol, which inhibits growth between withdrawals and is what makes a multiple-dose vial possible.
Does the preservative sterilise the vial?
No. Bacteriostatic means growth-inhibiting, not lethal. It does nothing about a contaminated draw.
How much should I add to a peptide vial?
That is a free choice, and it sets your concentration. More water spreads the same mass over more volume, making small draws easier to measure. The reconstitution calculator will show you the trade-off.
Is this a medicine?
No. It is sold for in-vitro laboratory research use only. It is not a drug, supplement or cosmetic, and is not for human or veterinary use.
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