Guest Column: Powder Characterization For Formulators

Accelerating product development through formulation into successful manufacture and on to the market place, is an important goal for the pharmaceutical industry. Optimizing the formulation process, and more efficient production are strong themes as revenues come under intense pressure. For formulators the principal focus is developing a product that delivers desirable clinical performance, but manufacturing demands are increasingly influential. Steps taken at an early stage to thoroughly scope the links between process and product variables, as advocated by QbD, can pay dividends over the long term. This is especially true for powders, where fundamental compatibility between the formulation and plant builds quality into manufacture from the outset.