Hovione is a pharmaceutical company with contract manufacturing services that helps customers bring new and off-patent drugs to market, with FDA-approved manufacturing facilities in Portugal, China, Ireland, and the U.S.
Based in Loures, Portugal, Hovione pursues high quality standards for its products and services, specializing in drug development and production phases, with a special knowledge of inhalation drugs.
Hovione has partnered with MG2 to improve the development of drugs into hard shell capsules to be used with inhalators, an area of increasing market requests. MG2 is a Bologna, Italy supplier of capsule fillers and end-of-line solutions. It was employed by Hovione to help with development and approval phases of a very low dosage drug.
The product has to handle particular physical and technological properties, such as limited flowability and a marked tendency to stick to surfaces. Also, it was necessary to make different ranges of low dosages, up to a minimum of 5 mg, without compactation.
To meet Hovione’s requirements, MG2 provided its FlexaLAB a capsule filler (shown). The machine is designed for R&D laboratories, clinical trials, small batch outputs, and special production needs. For production requirements up to 3.000 cps/hr, it is based on the same functioning principles as MG2 high-speed machines.
FlexaLAB can work either at continuous or intermittent motion, depending on the type of dosing unit installed. By installing multiple dosing units at the same time, it enables the production of product combinations inside the same capsule.
The FlexaLAB machine supplied to Hovione is equipped with the MultiNETT system for the 100% in-process net weight control. MultiNETT guarantees the control of each dosed component, with an accuracy level from 0.5 up to 1 mg. The system is integrated in the specific unit for low dosages, optimized for powders to be inhaled, which cannot be compressed.
Gonçalo Andrade, Hovione Business Development Manager, said, “Hovione has a proven track record in the field of inhalation product development. With our core API process development, particle engineering and manufacturing expertise, Hovione produces pulmonary delivery-friendly particles, which can then be used to fill inhalation capsules. The acquisition of the MG2 FlexaLAB unit allows Hovione to support capsule filling activities in all stages of clinical development and even low volume commercial manufacturing of inhalation drug products. Customers can now partner with Hovione for a full service inhalation drug development manufacturing, all under one roof.”
