Janssen Expands Continuous Mfg. Initiative with Rutgers

Janssen Supply Chain has furthered its strategic partnership with the Rutgers University School of Engineering, providing more than $6 million to expand ongoing research efforts to support Janssen’s introduction of continuous manufacturing techniques for pharmaceuticals.
 
The funds will increase R&D efforts for Structured Organic Particulate Systems (C-SOPS) for the next several years. The center is also helping Janssen transition several products to continuous manufacturing, including developing a specially designed manufacturing line at its facility in Puerto Rico.
 
The funding from Janssen began five years ago and focuses on technical development of continuous processing, an emerging advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing method. 
 
As part of this collaboration, Rutgers engineers built one of the first full production-scale continuous direct compression solid oral dosage manufacturing facilities, which was used as the model for the Janssen production line in PR and is also being used as a model by other pharma manufacturers. This direct compression tableting line, located at the engineering school campus in Piscataway, has now been expanded to include wet and dry granulated products and can accommodate tests of multiple production routes under automated control.
 
“Our collaboration with the Rutgers Engineering School has been very productive in helping us to prepare for the future in delivering the highest quality medicines in the most efficient way,” said Mauricio Futran, vice president, advanced technology, Janssen Manufacturing & Technical Operations. “We look forward to continuing to work closely with Rutgers and with regulators on the advancement and implementation of this important manufacturing technology.”