Capsugel expands manufacturing capacity at three FDF plants

22-Sep-2013 - Last updated on 23-Sep-2013 at 06:59 GMT

Three Capsugel plants have seen recent expansions

Capsugel’s DFS Unit has upgraded three FDF (finished dose form) manufacturing facilities in the US and Europe.

The expansions come in response to growing customer demand for hormonal and high-potent compounds for soft gelatin and liquid-fill hard capsules.

At its Ploermel plant in France, Capsugel increased containment capacity to deal with hormonal and high potent compounds in soft gel manufacturing. The expansion also includes a new dosing system and high-speed capsule printing cabaility.

The company also added more lab space, equipment and analytical scientists at its facility in Livingston, UK. A CFS 1500 capsule filling and sealing machine was installed at the plant and incorporated into the team’s finished dosage form development process.

Meanwhile, in the US, at the company’s Greenwood, North Carolina-based plant, Capsugel commissioned and validated a new commercial scale liquid-fill encapsulation unit for pharmaceutical applications.

Another installation at the site is for a commercial production capability for the new solid lipid pellet (SLP) technology. SLP technology is currently being used on select customer development projects as a unique lipid-based formulation option for bioenhancement and other formulation issues.

Anthony Macci, SVP of Global Operations, told In-Pharmatechnologist that the company expects to “add manufacturing, quality assurance and support staff as these new products are introduced.”

“Each of our manufacturing facilities provides unique and complementary solutions and offerings that will significantly impact Capsugel’s DFS business unit,” he added.

Summer of Acquisitions

The expansions cap a busy summer for Capsugel in terms of acquisitions and expansions. Earlier this month Capsugel bought Bend Research to expand its dosage form solutions.

That acquisition also followed the purchase of Encaps in March. The Livingston, UK plant was acquired as part of that deal. Earlier this summer the company also launched a new encapsulating platform.

The company’s DFS (Dosage Formulation Unit) was established in February and is based in Morristown, New Jersey.