Hexal installs three particle size analysers

Pharmaceutical company Hexal, based in Holzkirchen, Germany, has extended its use of Malvern Mastersizer particle size analysers by installing the Mastersizer 2000 at three of its facilities.

The systems, chosen for their ability to compare results between different facilities and exchange methods easily, are being employed in a variety of different applications: at Salutas, a modern pharmaceutical production site in Europe that manufactures five million tablets and capsules every year; at Hexal Syntech, near Dresden, Germany, for use in controlling the synthesis of active substances; and at Jenahexal Pharma, the site of Hexal's sterile production, where more than 450 different sterile dosage forms, including injectables, infusions and implants, are produced under GMP cleanroom conditions.

The Mastersizer 2000 is a laser diffraction-based particle size analyser that measures particle size over a range from 0.02 to 2000µm. Its software-driven Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are designed to simplify method development, allow global method transfer and ensure minimal operator intervention during measurements. A SOP-assistant supports the user during the set-up of an optimum measurement method, and SOPs can be transferred from instrument to instrument by email.

The installations comes at a significant time, as Hexal is currently preparing for its integration into the Sandoz division of Novartis.