Pharmaceutical Processing articles from July 2008

Pharmaceutical Processing archives from July 2008

The business of pain.(From The Editor)
July 1, 2008... I was thinking about pain the other day. Maybe because I've had this knot in my back for two weeks and it really isn't getting any better. Maybe because I don't like to take medicine (yes, even though I cover their manufacture) and 1 know that...

Precision rupture panel prevents product buildup and contamination.(What's Hot)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The MVRB (Metal Vent Reverse Buckling) rupture panel provides pressure relief for applications where hygiene and sanitation are concerns. It can avert catastrophic explosions caused by overpressures in dust...

Bench top analyzer supports moisture, solids, and ash.(What's Hot)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The MAX[R] 5000XL features rapid moisture and ash analysis with a new temperature controlled balance and high temperature lift compensation algorithm that provides users with more stable and accurate measurements....

New bulkhead fittings allow safe, quick connections to plastic or metal tanks.(What's Hot)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] BFA Series Industrial Bulkhead Fittings are designed to allow safe, quick pipe connections to plastic or metal tanks. The bulkhead fittings come standard with heavy duty, full buttress left hand threads to prevent...

Zeta and Omega UV-visible spectrophotometers with USB storage and printing capabilities.(What's Hot)
July 1, 2008... The Zeta double-beam and Omega single-beam UV-Visible spectrophotometers are designed for research, routine quality control, and teaching needs. Units offer excellent throughput and analysis of liquid and solid samples as well as offering...

Cleanroom truck oven offers class 100 specification.(What's Hot)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] This oven is a 500[degrees]F (~260[degrees]C) electrically-heated, Class 100 cleanroom oven currently used for a variety of heat processings such as sterilizing, depyrogenation, curing and drying workloads. The...

3-axis beam control laser marker ideal for use on curved surfaces.(What's Hot)
July 1, 2008... The V9900 series is a high-speed, YVO4 laser marker that has the ability to mark the X and Y direction, as well as the Z direction. The 3-axis motion allows for outstanding visibility on deformed or curved surfaces. Users can mark on inclines,...

Vision appliance software capability expands to color.(What's Hot)
July 1, 2008... iNspect Color is a software package that is both powerful and quick-to-deploy for automated quality inspection applications. It is equipped with two distinct styles of application interface software to accommodate the differing needs and...

Innovative seal material withstands aseptic processing demands.(What's Hot)
July 1, 2008... The P3 diaphragm seal material delivers long life and is resistant to aggressive chemicals, withstands temperatures up to 320[degrees] F, and Continuous pressure spikes up to 145 psi. The material is designed to eliminate the problems...

High-capacity conveyor minimizes particle degradation.(Cool Technology)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The DPG-B Series gravity-loaded bottom-discharge dense-phase are ideal for moving powdered, granular, or pelletized friable and abrasive materials. They are rated up to 100+ TPH and provide high material-to-air...

Electronic column bender eliminates transfer of materials.(Cool Technology)(Column)
July 1, 2008... The redesigned IBC Column Blender receives, locks, lifts and blends an IBC (Intermediate Bulk Container). It allows a homogeneous blend of multiple ingredients without the worry of segregation and cross contamination by eliminating the need to...

Particle sizer helps match mixer to process.(Cool Technology)
July 1, 2008... Particle analyzer allows for accurate particle or droplet size measurements of dispersions or emulsions using laser diffraction technology. The system analyzes both wet and dry samples and is a key tool in conjunction with viscometers, moisture...

Custom vessels meet wide ranging needs.(Cool Technology)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] An extensive range of kettles and tanks are available, which have A.S.M.E. certified jacket pressure ratings and numerous design pressure ratings from which to choose. These vessels also have a wide variety of...

Unprecedented integration powered Pfizer's NEWCON facility to 2008 FOYA award for process innovation: blending of automation, process integration, IT and PAT applications at NEWCON unmatched in the global pharmaceutical industry.(Facility Of The Year Award)(Industry overview)(Company overview)
July 1, 2008... When the Pfizer am in Illertissen, Germany conceptualized their NEW CONtainment (NEWCON) facility in April 2004, the main, practical purpose was to create a manufacturing plant for oral solid dosage forms including high potent compounds with a...

Managing efficiency in a quality organization: Par Pharmaceutical realizes significant increases in value and efficiency through operation.(Operational Excellence)
July 1, 2008... In today's business environment, a quality organization that focuses strictly on compliance while ignoring inefficiency will not succeed. Operational challenges such as cost reduction, cycle time reduction, improved efficiency, Right First...

Grinding ahead: creating nanoparticles via media milling for drug delivery applications.(Nanotechnology)
July 1, 2008... Industry estimates from 2006 put the cost of drug development at more than $1.2 billion. That number is probably well over $2 billion when the cost of failed prospect drugs is factored in. With costs skyrocketing, margins slipping and...

Two-wire, loop-power level switch for tank monitoring/interface control.(New Products)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Designed for service in tank and sump level applications, as well as fill/drain control and overflow detection, the LS2000 level switch is highly responsive, sensing dry-to-wet conditions in less than 2 seconds,...

Linear positioning stages featuring "T-slots".(New Products)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] These compact linear stages feature 0.2mm/300mm accuracy and 0.1mm repeatability. Available in travel lengths up to 6 meters, these easy to install precision stages have "T-Slots" on three sides for installation...

Citric acid cleaner offers enhanced cleaning power.(New Products)
July 1, 2008... The Micro[R] A07 citric acid cleaner for removal of oxide, scale, mineral deposits, milkstone, and inorganic soils is a biodegradable blend of chelating citric acid and anionic surfactants offers enhanced cleaning performance compared to simple...

Voltage sags, dirty power and process equipment reliability: is a product offering 99.999 percent reliability with a lifetime warranty a good deal? Not necessarily.(Process Reliability)
July 1, 2008... The power utilities are selling just that. They call 99.999 percent "five nines" of reliability and power companies across the country are very proud of it. Some even promote "seven nines" of protection. When compared to power dependability...

Portable cap torque gauge records values.(New Products)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The MGTC cap torque gauges test and record both application and removal torque values (clockwise and counter-clockwise directions) on packaging applications across the pharmaceutical, food, and beverage industries....

Analysis tool helps identify powder batch differences.(New Products)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A statistical data analysis tool for the Morphologi G3 high sensitivity particle characterization system makes it quick and easy to investigate batch-to-batch variation in a powder feed or product. From the database...

Electrofusion joining machine features simple operation.(New Products)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Electro Plus[R] Fusion Machine is used to join GF Piping Systems' Fuseal[R], Fuseal Squared[TM] Double Containment, Fuseal 25/50[TM] PVDF, and PPro-Seal[TM] Natural PP piping systems. Electro Plus[R] incorporates...

Mini two-way drum pump powered by compressed air.(New Products)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] This liquid vacuum is capable of pumping 5 gallons of liquid in less than 10 seconds. The unit is ideal for vacuuming coolant, hydraulic oils, spills, sludge, tramp oil and waste water then reversing the pump to...

High speed feeders provide fast, efficient feeding of materials.(New Products)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] AC operated high speed feeders are designed for feeding of light, bulky materials. These powerful feeders are ideal for scales and other applications that require high throughput and advanced control. They feature a...

Collars/couplings feature integral mounting flanges.(New Products)
July 1, 2008... Accu-Flange[TM] Collars and Precision Sleeve Flange Couplings offer machinery builders a reliable mounting method for attaching a wide variety of components. Featuring integral mounting flanges with three through- and three tapped holes, the...

Achieving complete and cost-effective regulatory compliance for molecular spectroscopy systems: how to cut costs and improve your instrument commissioning time.(Instrumentation Compliance)
July 1, 2008... Regulatory compliance for molecular spectroscopy systems (FT-IR, FT-NIR, Raman and UV-Visible) is essential for any instrument but the complex processes involved can often lead to misconceptions about specific compliance requirements. Recent...

X-Ray Inspection System ensures product and package integrity.(Cool Technology)
July 1, 2008... The EZ Tec[R] XR Inspection System helps ensure product and package int0egrity by reliably identifying contaminants, scanning for missing or broken products, detecting packing voids, and confirming fill levels. The system offers a 15" touch...

Circulating bath designed for kinematic viscosity testing.(Cool Technology)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Kinematic viscosity bath features a maximum temperature of 150[degrees]C and temperature stability of 0.05[degrees]C. The unit comes equipped with a Teflon[R] top plate that holds up to six 2" diameter glass...

Particle counter interfaces to mobile PCs.(Cool Technology)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The PC-GW3016 is a portable 6-channel particle counter that features exclusive data transfer and graphic software. Automated report generation software is also available, as well as interface to mobile PCs which...

Volumetric titrator has six built-in calibration modes.(Cool Technology)
July 1, 2008... The AQV-300 has six built-in calculation modes to accommodate solid, liquid and gas samples. It includes a statistics package with one-touch calculations. Four files with preset conditions can be stored in memory and allows instant recall of...

Sensitivity profiling of solid oral doses: a tool to optimize formulations.(Solid Dosage)
July 1, 2008... Sensitivity of formulated drugs is often described qualitatively as highly sensitive or less sensitive based on the active ingredients properties. Therefore the difference in the sensitivity when changing formulations using the same active...

Wedge conveyor features fast vertical transport.(New Products)
July 1, 2008... Expanded line of VarioFlow S chain conveyor systems includes the new wedge conveyor that provide a compact footprint, and enables users to elevate or lower products quickly and easily. Flexible cleat chains gently secure the product during...

Flowability tester for pharmaceutical powders.(New Products)
July 1, 2008... The flowability tester BEP2 provides a range of options for testing pharmaceutical powders, using the methods described in the US and European Pharmacopoeias. The BEP2 offers flow through an orifice, angle of repose and shear cell in a single...

Flow meter delivers expanded range with wider turndowns.(New Products)
July 1, 2008... The Multi-Mag L Series Flow Meter features electromagnetic multi-point sensing technology for large line sizes, a smart programmable signal converter and a virtually noise-immune cable. The meter provides exceptional linearity across six points...

Temperature indicators designed for critical applications.(New Products)
July 1, 2008... The E-Stik provides an instantaneous digital readout of surface temperature at the point of contact. It is not necessary to know the emissivity of the surface material to obtain an accurate reading. The patented design combines the latest in...

Labeling system features vertical roller conveyor.(New Products)
July 1, 2008... The Moduline vertical roller labeling system is used to apply wraparound labels to tall, unstable cylindrical containers at speeds up to 100 ppm This labeling system incorporates a vertical roller conveyor to stabilize each container during...

Preparing for the baby boomer retirement wave: is your corporate memory and competitive advantage walking out the door?(Intellectual Capital)
July 1, 2008... An alarm bell has sounded for employers of skilled professionals. Recent studies published by government departments, academic institutions and private human resources firms are coming to the same conclusion: employers across North America and...

Proposed rule to provide updated information on the use of drugs during pregnancy.(FDA Update: A monthly compendium of news features, announcements, regulatory issues and approvals from the Food & Drug Administration.)
July 1, 2008... The FDA has proposed major revisions to the physician labeling for prescription drugs (including biological products) to provide better information about the effects of medicines used during pregnancy and breast-feeding The proposed...

Individuals/firms warned to stop selling fake cancer 'cures'.(FDA Update: A monthly compendium of news features, announcements, regulatory issues and approvals from the Food & Drug Administration.)
July 1, 2008... Warning Letters have been sent to 23 U.S. companies and two foreign individuals marketing a wide range of products fraudulently claiming to prevent and cure cancer, according to the FDA. The FDA has also warned consumers against using or...

TYGACIL approved for treatment of patients with CAP.(RECENT APPROVALS)
July 1, 2008... The FDA has issued an approvable letter for Wyeth's first-in-class antibiotic TYGACIL (tigecycline) for the treatment of adult patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). * Before granting approval, the FDA requested that Wyeth provide...

FDA approves Cymbalta for the management of fibromyalgia.(RECENT APPROVALS)
July 1, 2008... * The FDA has approved Cymbalta (duloxetine HCl) for the management of fibromyalgia, a chronic widespread pain disorder, Eli Lilly announced recently. Cymbalta is the first serotonin- norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor with proven efficacy for...