Editors' Picks of Pharmaceutical Science & Technology Innovations
Drugmakers never stop looking for components and equipment that will create therapies more quickly, more reliably, and more
efficiently. The industry's need pushes pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical manufacturing technology to evolve continually.
This month's featured products are designed to improve the speed and flexibility of the pharmaceutical production line. Continental
Disc's rupture discs can withstand harsh conditions. Thomas Engineering has unveiled a tablet coater designed to facilitate
cleaning validation and reduce contamination. And Millipore's membrane adsorber can remove impurities at high salt concentrations.
Tablet coater provides flexibility
Accela-Cota Flex 500 tablet coater Thomas Engineering www.thomaseng.com
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The Accela-Cota Flex 500 production-class tablet coater from Thomas Engineering (Hoffman Estates, IL) incorporates drums that
can be removed and exchanged in 30 min without tools. This feature lets operators dedicate a drum to a particular product,
thus facilitating cleaning validation and reducing risk of cross contamination. The tablet coater accepts drums of various
sizes, allowing users to choose the right drum for the process they must perform. Removing the drums enables operators to
clean the inside of the coater thoroughly. The machine's mixing baffles are also interchangeable.
Rupture disc withstands severe conditions
SanitRX MP rupture disc Continental Disc www.contdisc.com
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Continental Disc (Liberty, MO) has added the MP unit to its SanitRX series of rupture discs. The product was designed for
applications during which conditions frequently change between positive pressure and vacuum. The company moved the disc's
score line from the contact side to the downstream side so that it is subject to less stress when pressure changes. The new
position also improves the disc's cleanability. The disc can be cleaned or steamed in place.
The disc complies with the American Society for Mechanical Engineers's bioprocessing equipment criteria for process-side surface
finish and fully traceable metal and elastomer materials. The component also is free of polishing compounds, release agents,
and animal derivatives. The disc is appropriate for pressure-vessel applications such as autoclaves, fermenters, and heat
exchangers.
Membrane adsorber uses nontraditional chemistry
ChromaSorb membrane adsorber Millipore www.millipore.com
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The ChromaSorb solution is a single-use anion-exchange membrane adsorber from Millipore (Billerica, MA) designed to remove
negatively charged impurities. The product has greater binding strength at high salt concentrations than traditional resins
and current membranes, according to the company. This strength results from a primary-amine gel with a high charge density
that coats the adsorber's base membrane. The gel provides many areas of contact for negatively charged impurities such as
host-cell proteins and viruses to bind.
Because ChromaSorb devices can continue to bind at high salt concentrations, no product dilution is required. The ChromaSorb
product is designed for flow-through applications at the polishing step of the purification of monoclonal antibodies and recombinant
proteins.
