Critical review on the role of excipient properties in pharmaceutical powder-to-tablet continuous manufacturing

13 Aug 2024 | Peer-reviewed journal | Contributor(s): Sara Fathollahi, Pauline H. M. Janssen, Bastiaan H. J. Dickhoff, Henderik W. Frijlink

The pharmaceutical industry is gradually changing batch-wise manufacturing processes to continuous manufacturing processes, due to the advantages it has to offer. The final product quality and process efficiency of continuous manufacturing processes is among others impacted by the properties of...

Control oriented modeling of twin-screw granulation in the ConsiGmaTM-25 production plant

09 Jul 2024 | Peer-reviewed journal | Contributor(s): Johannes Khinast, Martin Horn, Jakob Rehrl, Selma Celikovic, Johannes Poms

ConsiGmaTM-25 is a continuous production plant integrating a twin-screw granulation, fluid bed drying, granule conditioning, and a tableting unit. The particle size distribution (PSD), active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) content, and liquid content of wet granules after twin-screw...

Implementation of a fully integrated continuous manufacturing line for direct compression and coating at a commercial pharmaceutical facility – Part 1: Operational considerations and control strategy

25 Jun 2024 | Peer-reviewed journal | Contributor(s): Conway, Stephen L., Rosas, Juan G., Overton, Paul, Tugby, Neil, Cryan, Phillip, Witulski, Frank, Hurley, Samantha, Wareham, Laura, Tantuccio, Anthony, Ramasamy, Manoharan, Lalloo, Anita, Gibbs, Mason, Meyer, Robert F.

We implement a fully integrated continuous manufacturing (CM) line for direct compression and coating of a pharmaceutical oral solid dosage form in a commercial production facility. In this first paper of a two-part series, we describe process design and operational choices made to introduce CM...

Implementation of a fully integrated CM direct compression and coating process at a commercial pharmaceutical facility - Part 2: PAT and RTD results for normal operational conditions batches.

25 Jun 2024 | Peer-reviewed journal | Contributor(s): Rosas, JG, Brush, P, Thompson, B, Miller, C, Overton, P, Tugby, N, Stoliarskaia, D, Hurley, S, Ramasamy, M, Conway, SL

This is the second of two articles detailing the continuous manufacturing (CM) development and implementation activities for an marketed product which have been realized in novel, qualified equipment, using validated control strategy elements to enable manufacture of batches under current good...

Embracing continuous manufacturing in the pharmaceutical industry

03 Jun 2024 | Website | Contributor(s): Joelle Anselmo

"Drugmakers have been slow to adopt the production process, which experts say can streamline operations, boost data quality and reduce time to market."

MOOC 1 Introduction to Continuous Manufacturing

29 Nov 2023 | Teaching Materials | Contributor(s): RCPE

MOOC I - Batch vs. Continuous Manufacturing: Revolutionizing Medicine Production

29 Nov 2023 | Teaching Materials | Contributor(s): RCPE

MOOC I Introduction - The Advantages and Challenges of Continuous Manufacturing in Pharmaceuticals

29 Nov 2023 | Teaching Materials | Contributor(s): RCPE

In this video, we start exploring the world of continuous manufacturing in the pharmaceutical industry. Discover how this innovative technology is revolutionizing the production of medicines, its advantages over traditional batch manufacturing, and the challenges it presents. Join us as we delve...

CDER's Emerging Technology Program

20 Nov 2023 | Workshop | Contributor(s): Thomas O’Connor

Emerging Technology Program (ETP) OverviewETP TrendsLifecycle of an Emerging TechnologyInteracting with the ETPPharmaceutical Quality Symposium 2023: Quality, Supply Chain & Advanced Manufacturing - 10/31/2023 | FDA

Lubricant Sensitivity of Direct Compression Grades of Lactose in Continuous and Batch Tableting Process

16 Nov 2023 | Peer-reviewed journal | Contributor(s): Gerald A. Hebbink, Pauline H. M. Janssen, Jurjen H. Kok, Lorenzo Menarini, Federica Giatti, Caterina Funaro, Salvatore Fabrizio Consoli, Bastiaan H. J. Dickhoff

Modern pharmaceutical manufacturing based on Quality by Design and digitalisation is revolutionising the pharmaceutical industry. Continuous processes are promoted as they increase efficiency and improve quality control. Compared to batch blending, continuous blending is easier to scale and...

Effect of batch-to-batch variation of spray dried lactose on the performance of feeders

10 Aug 2023 | Peer-reviewed journal | Contributor(s): Carlota Mendez Torrecillas, Florian Tegel, Ralf Weinekötter, Bernhard Meir, Bastiaan H.J. Dickhoff, Sri Sharath Kulkarni, Pauline H.M. Janssen

With the emergence of quality by design (QbD), it becomes imperative to gain understanding of the impact of batch-to-batch variability of raw materials on the performance of processes. Feeding is the first unit of operation in a continuous manufacturing line and is critical for the final product...

Why We Need Continuous Pharmaceutical Manufacturing and How to Make It Happen

09 Jun 2023 | Peer-reviewed journal | Contributor(s): Clive Badman, Charles L.Cooney, Alastair Florence, Konstantin Konstantinov, Markus Krumme, Salvatore Mascia, Moheb Nasr, Bernhardt L. Trout

We make the case for why continuous pharmaceutical manufacturing is essential, what the barriers are, and how to overcome them. To overcome them, government action is needed in terms of tax incentives or regulatory incentives that affect time.

Use of near-infrared spectroscopy to quantify drug content on a continuous blending process: Influence of mass flow and rotation speed variations

09 Jun 2023 | Peer-reviewed journal | Contributor(s): Martínez, Lizbeth, Peinado, Antonio, Liesum, Lorenz, Betz, Gabriele

The aim of this study was to develop a quantitative Near-Infrared (NIR) method which monitors the homogeneity of a pharmaceutical formulation coming out of a continuous blender. For this purpose, a NIR diode array spectrometer with fast data acquisition was selected. Additionally, the dynamic...

Use of the channel fill level in defining a design space for twin screw wet granulation

09 Jun 2023 | Peer-reviewed journal | Contributor(s): Gorringe, L. J., Kee, G. S., Saleh, M. F., Fa, N. H., Elkes, R. G.

Twin screw wet granulation is a key process in the continuous manufacture of oral solid dosage forms. Previous Research Article has qualitatively suggested that the channel fill level influences the granules produced. In this paper a quantitative measure of the total volumetric fraction of the...

Using residence time distribution in pharmaceutical solid dose manufacturing–A critical review

09 Jun 2023 | Peer-reviewed journal | Contributor(s): Bhalode, Pooja, Tian, Huayu Gupta, Shashwat Razavi, Sonia M Roman-Ospino, Andres Talebian, Shahrzad Singh, Ravendra Scicolone, James V Muzzio, Fernando J, Ierapetritou, Marianthi

While continuous manufacturing (CM) of pharmaceutical solid-based drug products has been shown to be advantageous for improving the product quality and process efficiency in alignment with FDA’s support of the quality-by-design paradigm (Lee, 2015; Ierapetritou et al., 2016; Plumb, 2005; Schaber,...

TPLS as predictive platform for twin-screw wet granulation process and formulation development

09 Jun 2023 | Peer-reviewed journal | Contributor(s): Ryckaert, A., Van Hauwermeiren, D., Dhondt, J., De Man, A., Funke, A., Djuric, D., Vervaet, C., Nopens, I., De Beer, T.

In recent years, the interest in continuous manufacturing techniques, such as twin-screw wet granulation, has increased. However, the understanding of the influence of the combination of raw material properties and process settings upon the granule quality attributes is still limited. In this...

Tracking raw material flow through a continuous direct compression line. Part II of II: Predicting dynamic changes in quality attributes of tablets due to disturbances in raw material properties using an independent residence time distribution model

09 Jun 2023 | Peer-reviewed journal | Contributor(s): Peterwitz, M, Buchgeister, SMeier, R, Schembecker, G

Continuous manufacturing of pharmaceuticals promises many advantages regarding economics and quality. However, tracing deviating material in such processes is much more challenging than in batch processes due to axial back-mixing. The literature has proven the traceability of disturbances in the...

Twin-screw melt granulation: Current progress and challenges

09 Jun 2023 | Peer-reviewed journal | Contributor(s): Kittikunakorn, Nada, Liu, Tongzhou, Zhang, Feng

Twin-screw melt granulation (TSMG) is a new alternative method for granulation that offers several advantages over wet and dry granulation methods. TSMG has rapidly gained interest over recent years in the pharmaceutical industry. Since it is an inherently continuous process with controlled...

Twin screw granulation - review of current progress

09 Jun 2023 | Peer-reviewed journal | Contributor(s): Thompson, M. R.

Twin screw granulation (TSG) is a new process of interest to the pharmaceutical community that can continuously wet granulate powders, doing so at lower liquid concentrations and with better product consistency than found by a high shear batch mixer. A considerable body of Research Article has...

Towards a Continuous Manufacturing Process of Protein-Loaded Polymeric Nanoparticle Powders

09 Jun 2023 | Peer-reviewed journal | Contributor(s): Schiller, Stefan, Hanefeld, Andrea, Schneider, Marc, Lehr, Claus-Michael

To develop a scalable and efficient process suitable for the continuous manufacturing of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles containing ovalbumin as the model protein. PLGA nanoparticles were prepared using a double emulsification spray-drying method. Emulsions were prepared using...

Towards a novel continuous HME-Tableting line: Process development and control concept

09 Jun 2023 | Peer-reviewed journal | Contributor(s): Sacher, Stephan, Celikovic, Selma, Rehrl, Jakob, Poms, Johannes, Kirchengast, Martin, Kruisz, Julia, Sipek, Martin, Salar-Behzadi, Sharareh, Berger, Hannes, Stark, Gerald, Horn, Martin, Khinast, Johannes G.

The objective of this study was to develop a novel closed-loop controlled continuous tablet manufacturing line, which first uses hot melt extrusion (HME) to produce pellets based on API and a polymer matrix. Such systems can be used to make complex pharmaceutical formulations, e.g., amorphous...

Towards Continuous Primary Manufacturing Processes-Particle Design through Combined Crystallization and Particle Isolation

09 Jun 2023 | Peer-reviewed journal | Contributor(s): Steenweg, C, Kufner, ACHabicht, J, Wohlgemuth, K

Integrated continuous manufacturing processes of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) provide key benefits concerning product quality control, scale-up capability, and a reduced time-to-market. Thereby, the crystallization step, which is used in approximately 90% of API productions, mainly...

The Influence of Equipment Design and Process Parameters on Granule Breakage in a Semi-Continuous Fluid Bed Dryer after Continuous Twin-Screw Wet Granulation

09 Jun 2023 | Peer-reviewed journal | Contributor(s): Ryckaert, Alexander, Ghijs, Michael, Portier, Christoph, Djuric, Dejan, Funke, Adrian, Vervaet, Chris, De Beer, Thomas

The drying unit of a continuous from-powder-to-tablet manufacturing line based on twin-screw granulation (TSG) is a crucial intermediate process step to achieve the desired tablet quality. Understanding the size reduction of pharmaceutical granules before, during, and after the fluid bed drying...

The optimization of process analytical technology for the inline quantification of multiple drugs in fixed dose combinations during continuous processing

09 Jun 2023 | Peer-reviewed journal | Contributor(s): Dadou, SM, Tian, YWLi, S, Jones, DS, Andrews, GP

Complications associated with uncontrolled hypertension are considered the major cause of premature death worldwide. Fixed-dose combinations (FDCs) offer an alternative approach to polypharmacy with the aim to improve patient compliance. Process Analytical Technology (PAT) is gaining momentum as...