Patheon, a global provider of drug development and manufacturing services to the pharmaceutical industry, has extended its aseptic vial filling capabilities at its Swindon, UK facility to include the commercial supply of small-scale specialist products.
Following recent FDA approval at Swindon, Patheon says it can now provide clients with a seamless service, where development batches and commercial product are supplied from the same filling line.
The service is particularly suited to commercial supply of niche biological and orphan drug products where the annual volumes are small, says the company. Vial sizes range from 2-30ml.
The new technology also allows disposable components to be used instead of more costly stainless steel vessels. This provides clients with an efficient filling process that overcomes challenges posed by many large and small molecule sterile products, the company says.
Wes Wheeler, president and ceo of Patheon says: "We can now produce commercial product from the same production line that is used for Phase II and Phase III clinical batches. This allows clients to commercialise their drugs much faster than would normally be expected."