GEA Pharma Systems, G-CON Manufacturing and Pfizer won Best Technology Innovation for their Portable, Continuous, Miniature and Modular (PCMM) platform at the INTERPHEX 2015 Exhibitor Awards.
PCMM comprises a system that integrates a small footprint, continuous processing equipment, smart control systems and portable, self-contained GMP modules (PODs) to process API powders and inactive ingredients into bulk tablets.
PCMM is a result of a collaboration between GEA Pharma Systems, G-CON and Pfizer to develop innovative, next-generation processing technologies for oral solid dosage (OSD) forms.
Designed to address rapidly changing requirements of pharmaceutical development and manufacturing, PCMM aims to meet the industry’s needs for continuous processing in a flexible, self-contained manufacturing space.
PODs, which can be rapidly deployed, are a cost-effective alternative to large, highly capitalised manufacturing facilities with fixed equipment and limited flexibility.
INTERPHEX, a pharmaceutical event dedicated to innovation, technology and knowledge, launched the Exhibitor Awards in 2014 to recognise cutting-edge technology and value-added solutions that enable biopharmaceutical development and manufacturing companies to achieve production goals and objectives.
G-CON Manufacturing president Maik Jornitz said: "We are extremely gratified to have been given this prestigious award.
"We believe that these small footprint efficient continuous systems will become the standard in the industry and that brick and mortar batch based systems will become a thing of the past.
"The PCMM project has shown that PODs will play a key role in driving next-generation rapidly deployable manufacturing facilities."
GEA Pharma Systems business development manager Richard Steiner said: "The PCMM Consortium’s visionary goals have been achieved by combining advanced technology and innovation.
"What was introduced and described last year during Interphex 2014 hasn’t just been delivered, it’s also been proven to work."
GEA Pharma Systems national sales manager H McCoy Knight said: "To create the next-generation of OSD processing technologies and address the rapidly changing requirements of drug manufacturers, we designed and built a portable, autonomous manufacturing environment for continuous OSD production using GEA’s ConsiGma-25 system and G-CON’s modular POD system."
PODs are designed for rapid construction and deployment. They can be disassembled and moved, allowing manufacturers to produce small batches of drugs exactly when and where they are needed.
This first-of-its-kind system is expected to transform the future of pharmaceutical process development and manufacturing while providing the flexibility needed for in-country and small-lot manufacturing.