Evonik Degussa Provides Pharmaceutical Melt Extrusion Technology Services
New Leistritz Nano 16mm Twin Screw Extruder purchased for Technical Lab
Evonik Degussa Corporation announced the purchase of a Leistritz Nano 16mm (TSE) Twin Screw Extruder to serve the growing number of customers using pharmaceutical melt extrusion technology. Installed at the Evonik Pharma Polymers Technical Lab in Piscataway, NJ, the new extruder is equipped with a micro-plunger feeding system and precision T-12 K-Tron top feeder. The TSE tackles solubility and bioavailability issues of poorly soluble drug substances, taste-masking, controlled/sustained release and continuous manufacturing applications.
Twin screw extruders have become the industry standard in the manufacture of pharmaceutical products from feasibility to commercial scale. “At early stages of melt extrusion formulation development of new molecular entities with limited drug availability, it is essential to use extrusion equipment for the smallest batch size,” said Dr. Firouz Asgarzadeh, Senior Technical Manager of Pharma Polymers business line. “The current set allows 30g to several Kg pharmaceutical in melt extrusion batch manufacturing.”
Evonik Pharma Polymers, a business line of Evonik Degussa Corporation, manufactures EUDRAGIT® acrylic functional polymers, used for immediate release, enteric, sustained release, taste masking and protective formulations.
For the last twelve years Evonik has built a network of global centers of excellence for pharmaceutical melt extrusion and spray-drying to help customers develop formulations for poorly soluble drugs via MemFis (Melt Extrusion Modeling & Formulation Information System), lab trials and cGMP clinical supplies. Evonik Pharma Polymers provides full formulation development services for melt extrusion of drug substances with appropriate (EUDRAGIT® or Non-EUDRAGIT®) polymers.
“The market trend is to make molecular entity drugs more bioavailable,” said Yann d’Herve, Business Director North America of Pharma Polymers business line. “This latest addition to our state-of-the-art lab provides pharmaceutical formulators access to the latest new platform technology and a means to develop pharmaceutical melt extrusion formulations to bring drugs to the marketplace in a faster and more cost efficient way.”
The Piscataway Technical Lab will host a “Melt Extrusion Customer Demo Day” on Thursday, June 23 from 11:00-2:00 EST to introduce the new Twin Screw Extruder to customers and prospects. Further information on this event is available by contacting Sandra Cramer at +1 732-981-5269.
About Evonik
Evonik is the creative industrial group from Germany. In our core business of specialty chemicals, we are a global leader. In addition, it has energy and residential real estate operations. Our performance is shaped by creativity, specialization, reliability and continuous self-renewal. Evonik is active in over 100 countries around the world. In fiscal 2010 more than 34,000 employees generated sales of around €13.3 billion and an operating profit (EBIDA) of about €2.4 billion.
Disclaimer
In so far as forecasts or expectations are expressed in this press release or where our statements concern the future, these forecasts, expectations or statements may involve known or unknown risks and uncertainties. Actual results or developments may vary, depending on changes in the operating environment. Neither Evonik Industries AG nor its group companies assume an obligation to update the forecasts, expectations or statements contained in this release.