Are you a pharmaceutical R&D manager trying to manage multiple projects? If so, you’re not alone. Yet you’re likely in the tricky position of distributing a wide variety of projects (many of which will not see the consumer cabinet) among scarce resources, which include funding, lab space, personnel, and importantly, equipment. That's why we've put together this blog to identify equipment that is critical to the pharmaceutical R&D process, and which by purchasing, will aid in cost efficiency and product processing times. Although it is by no means exclusive or exhaustive, this list may serve as a starting point, particularly for laboratories that are new to R&D. (1)
- Coating Pan
Tablet coating is an intricate process that confers various coating types and ingredient ratios. A coating pan will assist the process of tablet synthesis by applying a coating of choice to the tablet core. Two major types of coating pans exist; these are conventional and perforated. Before purchasing this equipment, it is advisable to research the different types so that you pick the best fit for your laboratory purposes. (2)
- Batch Reactor
A wide variety of vessels are available for pharmaceutical use, and ‘batch reactor’ is a generic term that encompasses the different vessel types. Serving as a controlled environment for chemical reactions to take place, batch reactors are well-suited for the small sample sizes frequently used in the R&D stage of drug development. (3)
- High Pressure Homogenizer
One of the higher cost commitments of this list, homogenizers produce products that have a diverse range of applications. Homogenization involves forcing a fluid through a narrow field at high pressures to reduce particle size. The process can yield such products as emulsions, suspensions, dispersions, and lipids, which can be used for synthesis of pharmaceuticals such as vaccines, antibiotics, steroids, inhalants, and more. (4)
- Microfluidizer
Ideally suited for cell rupture, microfluidizers are forceful enough to rupture tough cell walls yet gentle enough to keep intracellular proteins intact; bacteria, yeast, and plant cells are well-matched to the equipment capabilities. Although some homogenizers may also achieve cell disruption, microfluidizers generate a more robust product with more desirable processing times. Having both a microfluidizer and a high pressure homogenizer in your lab will expand your procedure repertoire while also decreasing processing times.
- Vessel, e.g. batch reactor
A wide variety of vessels are available for pharmaceutical use, and batch reactor is a generic term that encompasses the different vessel types. Serving as a controlled environment for chemical reactions to take place, batch reactors are well-suited for the small sample sizes conferred by the R&D stage of drug development. (5)
Pion's BEE brand homogenizers: Reliable Pharmaceutical Processing Equipment
As you begin your search for some of the above-listed items, you will be bombarded with corporations selling the equipment you want. To ensure that you select high-quality and reliable products, begin your search at www.pion-inc.com. Pion's products have innovative technology that offers unique benefits for producing nano/micro emulsions and dispersions, lipids and suspensions for vaccines, targeted drug delivery, inhalants, time release, anesthetics and antibiotics.
Pion's pharmaceutical process equipment produces unprecedented results by allowing the formulations expert to optimize the mixing process, which allows for better-suited product characteristics. We are also familiar with the long road traveled by pharmaceutical companies, from an idea to R&D, clinical trials, FDA approval and manufacturing.
Learn more about Pion and the processing equipment we offer here!
