Vetter keeps on expanding lyophilisation services
its services by adding vial filling for lyophilised - or
freeze-dried - products to its portfolio.
The pharma contract manufacturer said this new service addition, which will be conducted in the company's new biopharmaceutical production facility at its Ravensburg Vetter South (RVS) site, represents a further step in its development as a leader in the manufacturing of liquid and lyophilised drugs. With this new expansion, Vetter can now fill active substances for its customers in all the common administration forms including single- and dual-chamber syringes, cartridges and vials. The increasing influx of biopharmaceuticals, especially sterile injectables, has created many opportunities for specialised manufacturing technologies that are usually not available with pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies. Lyophilization, in particular, is a process that is in growing demand in the biopharmaceuticals segment, as it requires a high degree of automation, and contract manufacturing organisations (CMOs) are focusing on tapping this large demand for such specialised niche technologies. CMOs like Vetter, who have spotted the opportunity in the market, have been building state-of-the-art facilities that rival those of pharmaceutical companies and are constantly upgrading them to enable novel manufacturing processes. This new facility will provide pharma companies with full life cycle management support for parenteral drugs from the earliest stages of production all the way to market launch and beyond, the company said. "For example, a vial might be used to introduce a new drug to the market quickly, followed by a refill as a lyophilized product into a dual-chamber syringe system such as the Vetter Lyo-Ject, which is top in user-friendliness," the firm said. Vetter's new facility, expected to be fully operational early next year, will also have lines for filling other systems offered by the company.
