Brabender Pharma & Particle Sciences to Expand Extrusion Capabilities

Particle Sciences Inc. (PSI), a leading pharmaceutical CRO, is adding a Brabender Mini-Compounder 12-mm twin screw extruder, plus an ATR Torque Rheometer with single screw extruder for co-extrusion applications, to its development and production lines. This is Particle Sciences’ fourth extruder dedicated to drug/polymer combinations.

“The demand for cGMP extrusion is increasing,” said Mark Mitchnick, Particle Sciences’ CEO. “Needs range from hot melt extrusion for solid oral dosage forms to drug eluting devices. Particle Sciences is the leading CRO in this area having invested heavily in equipment, high potency compound handling infrastructure, and proprietary modeling software. With injection molding, tube extrusion, coextrusion, and the leading analytic support facility, we are working very hard to make sure our clients’ projects move as quickly as possible. In 2011 we successfully brought such products into the clinic and already have several scheduled for cGMP manufacturing in 2012. While there are several fine extruders on the market, Brabender Pharma has focused their 12 mm on the pharmaceutical development space. Its ease of cleaning, full cGMP compliance, and extensive data capture capabilities make it a valuable addition to rapid product development efforts.”

“Particle Sciences is an innovative leader in pharmaceutical extrusion, and we are very pleased to be working with them,” Kevin Van Allen, Brabender Pharma’s V.P. of Sales & Marketing. “With the placement of the Mini-Compounder at Particle Sciences, Brabender Pharma clients will now have a US site for evaluation and development of their APIs from early stage and into cGMP production, including highly potent compounds. The 12-mm Mini-Compounder will be a truly valuable asset to Particle Sciences Inc. because its clamshell barrel, removable liner, and segmented screw elements will offer numerous new processing capabilities to explore. As pharmaceutical extrusion processes are continually being refined, we believe the 12-mm Mini-Compounder plus added co-extrusion capabilities will give PSI a world of future product development possibilities.”

Brabender Pharma USA, Inc. is an innovative company specializing in the manufacturing of twin-screw extruders for HME applications. The effort has been to concentrate on top quality equipment to produce small batch sizes up to production scale processes. The 12-mm Min-Compounder is ideally suited to this undertaking, while other models offer options to achieve production capacity.

Particle Sciences is an integrated provider of drug development services, focusing on BCS II/III/IV molecules, biologics, and highly potent compounds through a variety of technologies, including emulsions, gels, micro and nano-particulates, drug/device combination products, solid solutions and others. Through a full range of formulation, analytic, and manufacturing services, Particle Sciences provides pharmaceutical companies with a complete and seamless development solution that minimizes the time and risk between discovery and the clinic.