1. Why This Page Reads the Label Instead of Summarising Opinions
Hospira — part of Pfizer — is the name most people picture when they think of bacteriostatic water, and most comparisons written about it are assembled from forum memory. Almost everything worth knowing is stated plainly on the FDA-approved label, so that is the source used throughout this page.1
One correction up front, because it is the most repeated error in this category: there is no single “Hospira bac water.” There are two presentations, and they differ in size, container material and preservative strength.
2. The Two Presentations, Side by Side
| Attribute | 30 mL presentation | 20 mL fill presentation |
|---|---|---|
| Benzyl alcohol | 0.9% — 9 mg/mL | 1.1% — 11 mg/mL |
| Container | Plastic fliptop vial (semi-rigid polyolefin, ethylene/propylene copolymer) | 20 mL fill in a 30 mL glass fliptop vial |
| Dosing | Multiple-dose | Multiple-dose |
| NDC | 0409-3977-03 | 0409-1093-04 |
| Supplied | Trays of 25 | Trays of 25 |
| pH | 5.7, specification range 4.5 to 7.0 | |
| Storage | 20°C to 25°C (68°F to 77°F) | |
| Status | Rx only — human prescription drug | |
All values above are taken from the FDA-approved label.1
The glass-versus-plastic myth. “Hospira comes in a plastic vial” is half right. The 0.9% presentation is polyolefin; the 1.1% presentation is glass.1 If a comparison chart tells you a brand is superior because it uses glass and Hospira does not, that chart is comparing against only one of the two presentations. For what the glass classification means, USP <660> defines Type I borosilicate by its high hydrolytic resistance and treats Type I as suitable for all preparations.4
3. What Both Presentations Commit To
Beyond the packaging differences, both share the label’s substantive terms, and these are the ones that matter clinically:
- Composition: “a sterile, nonpyrogenic preparation of water for injection containing 0.9% (9 mg/mL) or 1.1% (11 mg/mL) of benzyl alcohol added as a bacteriostatic preservative.”1
- Indication: “indicated only for diluting or dissolving drugs for intravenous, intramuscular or subcutaneous injection, according to instructions of the manufacturer of the drug to be administered.”1
- Neonates: NOT FOR USE IN NEONATES. The label states that “due to the potential toxicity of benzyl alcohol in neonates, solutions containing benzyl alcohol must not be used in this patient population.”1
- Fluid replacement: “Parenteral preparations with benzyl alcohol should not be used for fluid replacement.”1
The 28-day re-entry limit is not on the drug label — it comes from USP <797> and CDC injection safety guidance, which apply to opened multiple-dose vials generally.7 See the 28-day puncture rule.
4. Relabeling: Why an Unfamiliar Name Isn’t Automatically a Red Flag
The same FDA-approved product reaches buyers under more than one labeler. A 30 mL multiple-dose bacteriostatic water listing appears on DailyMed under Henry Schein, Inc. as labeler, with its own NDC (0404-9970-30), carrying the identical description language — the same polyolefin copolymer container, the same 0.9%/1.1% composition statement, the same pH 5.7 (4.5 to 7.0), the same 20–25°C storage direction.2
This matters for verification. Seeing a distributor’s name rather than Hospira’s on a carton is normal and does not by itself indicate a counterfeit. The thing to check is the NDC and whether the labeling matches an approved product — both of which you can look up on DailyMed yourself. Conversely, a product that carries Hospira’s trade dress but no traceable NDC is the actual warning sign. Our guide to reading a COA covers the rest of that check.
5. Supply Status: Check It, Don’t Take It on Faith
Scarcity is a common selling argument in this category, and it is easy to verify rather than believe. FDA maintains a searchable Drug Shortages database covering current and resolved shortages.5
At the time of writing, that database returns no current shortage entry for bacteriostatic water — though several sterile water for injection and irrigation presentations, which are a different product, are listed. Supply conditions change, so treat that as a pointer to the source rather than a standing fact: search it before accepting any “due to nationwide shortages” framing, including ours.
6. Comparing Any Supplier Against the Hospira Label
The useful way to use this page is as a baseline. When you evaluate any bacteriostatic water, the Hospira label gives you the reference points that a competing product should be able to match or explain:
- Preservative strength stated as a number. 9 mg/mL or 11 mg/mL, not “contains benzyl alcohol.”
- A pH specification. 4.5 to 7.0 is the published range.1
- An endotoxin limit. Water for Injection carries a 0.25 EU/mL limit; a supplier should be able to state their result against it.6
- A named container material. Polyolefin and Type I glass are both legitimate; vagueness is not.4
- A storage direction. 20–25°C, and a fulfilment process that respects it.
A supplier who differs from Hospira on any of these is not automatically worse — different vial sizes and container choices serve different protocols, which is the subject of 10 mL vs 3 mL sizing. What matters is that the difference is stated in numbers you can check, rather than asserted in adjectives.
References & Primary Sources
Every technical claim on this page is sourced to a pharmacopeial monograph, a federal regulatory body, or peer-reviewed literature. Links open the primary source directly.
- Regulatory / pharmacopeialBacteriostatic Water for Injection, USP — FDA prescribing information (Hospira, Inc.)
- Regulatory / pharmacopeialBacteriostatic Water Injection, USP — 30 mL Multi Dose Vial (Henry Schein, Inc. labeler)
- Regulatory / pharmacopeialBacteriostatic Water for Injection (official monograph)
- Regulatory / pharmacopeialGeneral Chapter ⟨660⟩ Containers — Glass
- Regulatory / pharmacopeialFDA Drug Shortages database
- Regulatory / pharmacopeialBacterial Endotoxins/Pyrogens — Inspection Technical Guide
- Public health authorityPreventing Unsafe Injection Practices