Capsule Production White Papers & Case Studies

1. Modular Facility Design: A Cost-Effective Option In The Post-Blockbuster Drug Era 9/1/2015

   The pharmaceutical industry has undergone a sea of change in recent years as manufacturers have adapted to the end of the era of large-volume production of mass-market blockbuster drugs. With firms now focusing in on subpopulations of patients, there is a need for lean, adaptable facilities that can switch quickly between multiple products in multiple formats. Modular facilities can meet this need. While not a panacea, for the right project characteristics, ‘Modularity in Design’ can deliver significant and quantifiable long-term value.

2. Medication Errors -- A Threat To Patient Safety: Mitigating Errors With Tablet Appearance 1/16/2014

   Medical prescription drug errors by doctors, pharmacists and patients account for 1.5 million incidences of sickness, injuries or deaths in the U.S. each year. By Jay Anbil and Steve Yoder 

3. Film Coating For Pediatric Oral Solid Dosage Forms 1/16/2014

   From a recent survey conducted within the pharmaceutical industry, by Colorcon, it was confirmed that oral solid dosage forms are a preferred choice for formulation of pediatric medicines.

4. Accelerating Lipid-Based Drug Formulation 7/23/2013

   Formulation scientistsmust develop and validat robust systems that address the challenges posed by increasingly complex drug candidates, in ever shortening time frames.

5. When Capsules Fall Apart, Who Is To Blame? 5/6/2013

   Capsule integrity is a given for established manufacturers with impeccable reputations.  Consumers, however, know from experience that not all capsules are made equal.  Some can be difficult to extract from the blister pack.  Others may have gel caps with cracks or, even worse, ruptures that allow the ingredients to spill out.  Is this a manufacturing problem?  Or has R&D neglected to implement a fool proof test methodology for evaluating capsule stability?  Compression and tension testing offer a technical approach with quantifiable results that can be used to assess capsule performance.

6. How To Administer Insoluble Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients

   Some active pharmaceutical ingredients are not soluble. In fact, more than 40% of new chemical entities developed in the pharmaceutical industry have little or no solubility in water.

7. How Tough Is Your Capsule?

   Hard and soft-shell capsules are utilized in large quantities every day in pharmaceutical and nutraceutical plants around the world. By Bob McGregor, General Manager, Brookfield Engineering

8. Capsule Dosing Techniques For Dry Powder Inhalers

   Dry powder inhaler (DPI) devices that utilize two-piece capsules as the dose-holding system can require specialized dosing equipment to fill the capsules. Such products are known as "premetered."

9. Hypromellose Capsule For Optimum Formulation Of Pharma Dosage Forms

   Hypromellose capsules were originally formulated with a secondary gelling agent. This article discusses the rationale for developing Capsugel’s Vcaps Plus capsules without a gelling agent.

10. Rupture Test: A Quick and Easy Way to Avoid Soft Gel Capsule Failure

    When soft gel capsules rupture during production, packaging or subsequent handling, the damage is oftentimes more extensive than just the single capsule that fails. When consumed by patients, if the active ingredients in soft gel capsules fail to escape as designed at the appropriate time (by rupture, dissolution, or melting), then the product is a failure. Both types of problems are due to non-conforming capsule film strength. How can you predict these types of problems before they occur? Performing a simple rupture test is the quickest way to avoid these potential disasters.

    By Eric Chiang, Product Manager, Brookfield