Capsugel is expanding its technology platforms and capabilities at its product development and manufacturing sites in Edinburgh, Scotland, and Ploërmel and Strasbourg, France.

The company is installing a spray-drying unit at its Ploërmel facility as well as expanding its micro-dosing service offering for early-phase feasibility work with the addition of the Xcelodose 600S Precision Micro-Dosing System. The system provides expanded capacity and powder-in-capsule expertise. The company also plans to bring both its micro-dosing and spray-drying technologies to its Edinburgh location in 2017.

The company’s Strasbourg R&D facility, which offers specialized capabilities for the formulation of microbiome products, will open a new containment lab in the fourth quarter to meet increased demand for live biotherapeutics, including microbiome.

Also, now online at Capsugel’s Edinburgh and Ploërmel sites, is expanded commercial manufacturing capacity for lipid-based formulations (LBF) using liquid fill hard capsules (LFHC), softgels or lipid multi-particulates. Both facilities provide manufacturing of LBFs containing high-potency APIs as part of the company’s bioavailability enhancement offering.

“We have taken several of Capsugel’s proprietary technology platforms that have demonstrated advantages with customer product development programs and begun implementing them across multiple sites in our global network,” said Amit Patel, senior vice president and president, Dosage Forms, Capsugel. “This expansion and standardization of our offerings throughout our network allows us to better serve a wider range of customers in more locations, which can help them accelerate speed to market, minimize costs and experience enhanced service levels.”