Swiss Spray drying specialist and capsule filling service provider Micro-Sphere is investing 3.5 million CHF (US$3.5 million) into expanding its GMP manufacturing capabilities and processes.
Micro-Sphere will add an additional spray drying line to its facility in Switzerland in response to increased market demand for spray drying and capsule filling for dry powder inhalers.
The new production line, expected to be operational by Q1 2021, is Micro-Sphere's fifth and will allow the CDMO to handle larger quantities of pharmaceutical powders and commercial volumes of finished dosage forms.
Commenting on the investment, Michael Grassberger, Managing Director at Micro-Sphere said: "Our decision to invest has been fuelled by greater demand for spray drying services and we expect it will generate significant benefits for our clients. Our flexibility is key to our success and this investment allows us to maintain that competitive advantage."
The Swiss facility, already home to spray drying and capsule filling technologies, will also benefit from the introduction of a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) system and "Chromeleon" a Chromatografy Data System (CDS) software to support the QC Lab workflow.
Both software systems will bring significant cost and time savings to the business and streamline process efficiency.
Grassberger added: "This year we have focused on making the necessary investments to prepare Micro-Sphere for growth in 2019 and beyond. As well as investing in new machinery to increase our capabilities and expertise, we have also made significant investment into the latest technology. This includes investing in software platforms to ensure the most efficient and robust quality and documentation management systems are in place."
From its GMP, SwissMedic, FDA and PMDA approved facility near Lugano, Micro-Sphere's the Micro-Sphere team supports customers in the US, Europe, New Zealand and Asia with spray drying capabilities for the development and manufacture of both potent and non-potent pharmaceutical products, with a focus on inhalable dosage forms.