Snapshot of technologies at Interphex 2009
This year’s Interphex event, which played host to one thousand companies and 30,000 interested delegates, was a showcase for products and technical solutions for all sectors of the pharmaceutical manufacturing and outsourcing markets.
Netzsch showcases lab grinder and MiniVac
Netzsch Fine Particle Technology, the US arm of Germany’s Netzsch Feinmahltechnik, presented its MicroSeries range of laboratory-scale agitator bead mills, which are capable of produce particles in the 10 to 20 nanometer size range.
The firm explained that the technology, which is fully scalable, is designed to meet the drug industry’s demand for effective wet granulation methods capable of improving the absorption characteristics of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API).
Netzsch also used Interphex to introduce its MiniVac deaerator technology that can remove air bubbles that are often produced when processing water-based pharmaceutical dispersions.
The firm explained that such bubbles, generated by the soap-like properties of dispersants used in the drug formulation process, can interfere with both particle measurement and subsequent milling processes further down the production line.
The MiniVac uses vacuum thin-film rotation to remove air from liquid pharmaceutical mix and has a maximum throughput rate of 250 litres per hour.
Symetix looks at optical inspection with VeriSym
US industrial machining specialist Symetix, the pharmaceutical business unit of automation firm Key Technology, unveiled its VeriSym optical inspection system for drugmakers seeking to verify the quality of solid-dose drug.
The system, which at just under a meter wide and three meters high takes up half the floor space of other inspection technologies, allows manufacturers to monitor the colour, size and shape and detect any defect tablets or capsules.
The unit is compliant with the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) CFR part 11 guidelines and features parallel processing software that enables operators to monitor all stages of the production process.
Symetix general manager Craig Miller reiterated that: “VeriSym satisfies customers who need the inspection capabilities of Symetix’s popular Optyx SG inspection system but in a more compact footprint.”
Thermo Fisher unveils PETG storage bottles
Massachusetts-headquartered Thermo Fisher Scientific used the event to show off its line of Nalgene Certified Clean PETG containers. The range, which was made available in February, is suitable for storing bulk pharmaceutical intermediates and critical reagents.
The Nalgene bottles, which are manufactured under ISO 14644-1 class 7 cleanroom conditions, have been designed to minimize pH shift and leakage. The range is also free of animal derived components, thereby further reducing the risk of contamination.
The bottles, which meet USP 661 physicochemical guidelines, are intended for cleanroom applications and feature tamper-evident, heat-shrink sealing bands that help ensure integrity.
Crane reaches new heights with Stratus and Cirrus hoses
US industrial engineering firm Crane ChemPharma introduced two new hybrid hose solutions to pharma and biopharma manufacturers at this years event, claiming that its products can improve safety, handling and processing performance.
The products in question, ResistoPure Stratus and Cirrus, are both lined with Teflon, increasing their ability to withstand high temperature cleaning temperatures and the corrosive properties of detergents and solvents.
The Stratus PTFE-lined silicon hose, which is the first of its type created for pharmaceutical applications, is designed to have a “entrapment potential”, meaning that it will not become clogged during processing operations, thereby reducing contamination risk.
The Cirrus hose, which is also lined with PTFE and designed to be entrapment free, has improved flexability and has greater resistance to chemicals than older products in the range.
Jim Strom, VP and general manager of Crance ChemPharma Resistoflex, said that “Mitigating contamination risk inherent in sanitary and aseptic processing is becoming increasingly important for our customers, both from a cost as well as liability perspective.”
