Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1218534
28 March 2020 Tablets & Capsules I N D U S T R Y a p p l i c a t i o n Parsolex expands manufacturing capabilities Parsolex is a contract development and manufacturing services organi- zation (CDMO) that works with clients involved in the research, devel- opment, and commercialization of non-sterile pharmaceutical products. The company's clients include small, large, and virtual pharmaceutical com- panies; research universities; clinical research organizations; and hospitals. Parsolex operates an FDA-regis- tered cGMP facility in West Lafay- ette, IN, in the technology-driven Purdue Research Park, just north of Purdue University's main campus. The facility was designed to max- imize flexibility and serve a broad range of needs, with multi-pur- pose suites and portable equipment supporting unit operations such as blending, wet granulation, tablet compression, and encapsulation. "This flexibility has allowed us to maintain tableting, liquid, and automated capsule-filling tech- nology to support both clinical and commercial production," says Alfonso Chang, CEO of Parsolex. "For example, since 2004 we've pro- duced well over 2.5 million com- mercial capsule doses." The facility also includes a pro- duction viewing corridor that allows visitors to view production activities without having to gown and enter the cGMP area. shift from the historical setup is designed to enhance operational efficiency and support increased capacity. At the same time, sev- eral suites will continue to exist as multi-purpose suites to retain flex- ibility to serve clients and address unique needs. The expansion will increase the analytical laboratory's footprint by approximately 50 percent; include two new, fully dedicated product-de- velopment suites, totaling approxi- mately 1,000 square feet; and increase the total pallet capacity of cGMP Investing in the future Recently, Parsolex began a capi- tal investment program that includes expanding the total volume of cGMP processing space by 33 per- cent to accommodate larger-scale process equipment, including verti- cal lifts for intermediate bulk con- tainers and closed transfer of blends into tablet presses and capsule fillers. As part of the expansion, sev- eral cGMP suites will be dedicated to specific unit operations, such as granulation, tableting, coating, and encapsulation. This proactive Photo 1: A Pilotmix high-shear mixer/granulator (left) and Pilotlab fluid-bed system (right) are located in a new dedicated granulation suite.