Arcinova, a multi-service Contract Development and Manufacturing Organisation (CDMO) based in Alnwick, Northumberland, has recently taken delivery and commissioned the award-winning R1000 Robotic Capsule Filler from life-sciences automation company 3P innovation, as part of the ‘Fill-Inova’ project.
 
The R1000 includes 3P’s patented Fill2Weight micro-dosing technology, which directly supports the optimisation of drug substance through direct filling into capsules. Thanks to its capability of handling challenging powders with very poor flow properties, Fill2Weight enables formulators to bypass the need for excipients, with the associated benefit of avoiding the need for excipient compatibility tests.  The result is a significantly faster route through clinical trials and lower overall costs.   
 
“By combining our well-established expertise in drug substance manufacture and solid form optimisation with the advantages offered by the R1000, we are now ideally placed to address the growing demand for pharmaceutical products in clinical trials, ranging from simple capsules to inhaler devices.  It is an absolute pleasure to be offering such advanced services to clients around the world with real patient benefits,” commented Stephen Byard, head of Drug Product, Arcinova.
 
A Vast Improvement in Production
 
Arcinova’s previous manufacturing method for patient specific drug products involved a non-automated procedure with a production rate limited to 200 units per hour. The installation and commissioning of the new robotic machine from 3P Innovation increases production to 1000 units per hour, while maintaining the same level of operator labor. This fully-automated capsule filler has been designed to provide Arcinova with an agile manufacturing solution with traceable weight recordings for each individual capsule.
 
“As the pharmaceutical industry is under increasing pressure to develop new drugs faster, it is important that manufacturers seek the most advanced technologies. The R1000 is a versatile and powerful production machine, capable of handling the most challenging and specialist powders from pure API’s and blends to delicate spray-dried powders and micro-pellets,” added Simon Strothers, business development director, 3P.
 
The Fill-Inova Project is part of Arcinova’s multi-million-pound investment in the Alnwick site and aims to create a more responsive ‘economy-of-scope’ approach to producing complex medicines in smaller volumes. By employing digital technologies with automation and machine learning, Arcinova is able to produce on-demand, specific therapies for small patient populations. This will increase the UK’s capacity to manufacture small-molecule and high potency medicines, with patients set to benefit from accelerated access to targeted drug therapies.