The pharmaceutical industry uses numerous batch processes. Recently, because of its many advantages, a trend toward continuous processes is becoming more prevalent.
Continuous granulation offers opportunities for product and process development using small quantities of materials with minimized risks in scale-up. Characterisation of the granulation process using Design of Experiments techniques can be achieved using less API. In the development of new drugs/excipients, small scale continuous systems reduce time to market and employ processes comparable to production. In manufacturing, continuous granulation can deliver increased efficiency and a higher but flexible throughput. It also allows for the monitoring of processing parameters in the granulation process, which is particularly important for Process Analytical Technology (PAT).
The article compares batch and continuous processes with similar output rates. The cost of producing one sample is compared, and the product risks associated with each method are discussed.
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