19 February, 2014 -- Today GEA Pharma Systems and G-CON announced that PCMM (Portable Continuous Miniature & Modular) manufacturing will be exhibited at the upcoming Interphex conference, which runs from March 18–20 in New York City. PCMM comprises a system that integrates small footprint, continuous processing equipment, smart control systems and PODs (portable, self-contained GMP modules) to process API powders and inactive ingredients through to bulk tablets.
Designed to address the rapidly changing requirements of pharmaceutical development and manufacturing, PCMM aims to meet the industry’s needs for continuous processing in a flexible, self-contained manufacturing space. The PODs, which can be rapidly deployed, are a cost-effective alternative to large, highly capitalized manufacturing facilities with fixed equipment and limited flexibility. PCMM is a result of a recent collaboration between GEA Pharma Systems, G-CON and Pfizer to develop innovative, next generation processing technologies for oral solid dosage (OSD) forms.
Taking center stage at Interphex is the megaPOD, a standardized, self-contained, portable GMP facility with a manufacturing technology platform that can be used for development and commercial purposes — using the same equipment at the same scale. The system is pre-engineered to be potentially faster, easier and often less expensive to build and can be easily replicated, redeployed and reassembled.
“We believe our presence at Interphex, with a show POD and GEA Pharma Systems equipment, provides a great opportunity to demonstrate and discuss the system’s potential and opportunities,” said Maik Jornitz, COO of G-CON Manufacturing. “We’re looking forward to explaining the capabilities of our combined technologies, particularly in terms of continuous and flexible manufacturing.”
“As traditional systems become less sustainable, the pharmaceutical industry is looking for new facility innovations; PODs play a key role in the drive towards the implementation of rapidly deployable, copy/paste solutions,” he added, “Modular structures will be replaced or at least enhanced by next-generation POD technology.”
“This integrated approach addresses the current needs of the pharmaceutical industry and its global supply chain by pooling engineering resources to offer a flexible, continuous and contained manufacturing system for OSD products,” added Richard Steiner, Business Development Manager at GEA Pharma Systems. “With an advanced control system for in-process product tracking and quality assurance, this is not just another experimental prototype; this is a reliable and sustainable innovation that reduces capital investment and operational costs at the same time.”
The PODs are designed for rapid construction and deployment; they can be disassembled and moved, allowing manufacturers to produce small batches of drugs exactly when and where they’re needed.
This first-of-a-kind system could transform the future of pharmaceutical process development and manufacturing while providing the flexibility needed for in-country and small-lot manufacturing. Additionally, it could allow product development, clinical supply manufacture and commercialization to take place using identical processing equipment, simplifying process transfer, eliminating scale-up and significantly reducing API consumption during R&D.
Photo: The ConsiGma™ 25 tableting line that forms a key part of the megaPOD
High resolution image available from info@thewordsworkshop.co.uk
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Email: steve@thewordsworkshop.co.uk
All business enquiries to:
GEA Pharma Systems
Richard Steiner
Business Development Manager
pharma@gea.com
www.gea-ps.com GEA Process Engineering Inc. H. McCoy Knight National Sales Manager - Pharma Systems USA Phone +1 410 997 6608 mccoy.knight@gea.com
G-CON Manufacturing
Maik Jornitz
Chief Operating Officer
8800 HSC Parkway, Bryan, TX 77807
Phone: +1 516 356 6869
mjornitz@gconbio.com
www.gconbio.com
About GEA Pharma Systems
GEA Pharma Systems has built a solid reputation for blending inspiration with technology, and it’s that mixture of know-how and experience that unites the technologies of Aeromatic-Fielder™, Buck™, Collette™, Courtoy™, Diessel™, and Lyophil™ to provide a single-source provider of innovative, durable, high quality process solutions for solid and liquid dosage processing to the global pharmaceutical industry.
About GEA Group
GEA Group Aktiengesellschaft is one of the largest suppliers for the food processing industry and a wide range of other process industries. As an international technology group, the Company focuses on process technology and components for sophisticated production processes. In 2013, GEA generated consolidated revenues in excess of EUR 4.3 billion, more than 70 percent of which came from the food sector, which is a long-term growth industry. The group employed about 18,000 people worldwide as of December 31, 2013. GEA Group is a market and technology leader in its business areas. It is listed in Germany’s MDAX stock index (G1A, WKN 660 200) and the STOXX® Europe 600 Index. Further information is available on the Internet at: www.gea.com.
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