Catalent to increase spray-drying capacity for APIs at Pharmatek
The US contractor announced the expansion plan this week, explaining that it will install a GEA Niro Mobile Minor spray dryer and a Gerties Mini-Pactor unit at the facility in San Diego. Both technologies are expected to be validated and operational before June.
Catalent cited customer demand as the driver for the expansion, but did not go into specifics.
The US contract manufacturing organisation (CMO) bought Pharmatek last year, citing its capabilities in high potency active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) production as the motivation for the deal.
Barry Littlejohns, President of Catalent’s Drug Delivery Solutions business, said the capacity expansion “is the first of several strategic investments that we have planned for the San Diego facility in the immediate future.”
The site, where 200 people are employed, provides development and analytical services as well as manufacturing and formulation development support.
Pharmatek has used a GEA Niro Mobile Minor for the production of amorphous spray dried dispersions since 2015. The firm installed a Gerties Mini-Pactor at the site in 2014.
Elizabeth Hickman, Director of Sales & Marketing at Pharmatek told us "When Catalent acquired Pharmatek last year, it was to increase our bioavailability toolkit with the introduction of spray drying technology, and also to widen the scope of the work we can perform for our customers.
She added that: "Pharmatek has significant experience working with companies at earlier stages of development, and this opens up opportunities for us to do more with existing customers, and attract new customers at those earlier stages too."
