'General Buzz'
 First Indian Pharma Company Successfully Goes Live with Electronic MES |
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The pharmaceutical major Dr. Reddy’s is the first Indian company to improve its manufacturing processes by installing an electronic PAS-X Manufacturing Execution System (MES). Dr. Reddy’s opted for Werum’s MES PAS-X to help enhance the quality and compliance and to optimize the efficiency and productivity of its pharmaceutical shop floor processes.
Implementing PAS-X forms part of Dr. Reddy’s expansion strategy. The first step, now successfully completed, involved installing PAS-X at one of the company's FDA and MHRA approved production facilities at Bachupally in Hyderabad.
In its first step, the PAS-X handles and controls the Warehouse Management System, such as receiving, sampling and storing of materials. It also carries out Weighing & Dispensing and Equipment Management operations.
Using mobile terminals, PAS-X coordinates the barcode-controlled process for material tracking and tracing of containers as they travel from the warehouse to the dispensing area. An automated interface allows PAS-X to communicate directly with Dr. Reddy’s ERP (SAP).
The project is being carried out by a team of experienced experts at Werum’s Asia Support Centre with Dr. Reddy’s Internal Core Team.
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| First Legal Marijuana-Based Drug Useful for Cancer Pain Awaits Nod |
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If a British firm has its way, then the world's first cannabis-based prescription drug for mitigating cancer pain could soon hit pharmacies across the United States, a media report said.
The UK-based GW Pharma is currently conducting "landmark" trials of medicines derived from the cannabis plant - in fact it's a spray developed from raw marijuana which the firm hopes to market in the US as a potential treatment for cancer pain.
The drug, called Sativex, contains marijuana's two best known components - delta 9-THC and cannabidiol - which are already endorsed in Canada, New Zealand and eight European countries for relieving muscle spasms associated with multiple sclerosis.
Now, GW Pharma hopes to receive US government approval by the end of next year, the report said. Possession of marijuana is still illegal in the UK but some 10 years back, GW Pharma's founder, Dr Geoffrey Guy, got the permission to grow it to develop a prescription drug.
Dr Guy proposed the idea at a scientific conference that heard anecdotal evidence that pot provides relief to multiple sclerosis patients, and British government welcomed it as a potential way "to draw a clear line between recreational and medicinal use" , company spokesman said.
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| Roche finds flexibility in secondary packaging of pharmaceuticals |
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Company's Diagnostics Division employs a top loader that provides flexibility and a small footprint for secondary packing of its Coagucheck diagnostic strips used to test blood clotting time.
For more than 100 years, Roche has pioneered many medical breakthroughs, as an innovator of products and services for the early detection, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases.
The Switzerland-based company's mission is to create added value in healthcare by focusing on its expertise in diagnostics and pharmaceuticals.
Roche's Diagnostics Division has recently required a new solution for the secondary packaging of its Coagucheck diagnostic strips, which are used for home, or point of care, testing of blood clotting time, enabling patients to avoid repeated visits to a hospital-based anticoagulation clinic.
The full Coagucheck product consists of diagnostic strips packaged in plastic tubes, read-only memory chips containing calibration data and information leaflets, which all have to be processed for secondary packaging in boxes and fitted with labels and code strips. The main selection criterion for the new line was to increase production efficiency while maintaining full process control. As a result, gentle product handling and reliable packaging of all components were key requirements. Also needed was flexibility for handling different formats and components, as well as the ability to produce small batches in a confined space.
Seeking an experienced partner with technical expertise to meet its requirements, Roche selected Bosch Packaging Technology's and it’s Pharma Toploader TTP, developed specially for the pharmaceutical industry. The new machine is compact and integrated, delivering high output while ensuring maximum product safety and highly convenient operation.
The TTP's rotary system saves space and includes innovative box transportation and corresponding loading and infeed modules. The machine's flexibility is useful in the secondary packaging of products such as vials, prefilled syringes, ampules, tubes, and other components. It achieves flexibility by applying vacuum technology to hold boxes in position while on the transportation device, ensuring safe and careful product transport, and speeding format changes. This allows the box carriers to handle various box formats without requiring additional change parts or mechanical holders.
The entire installation, including various integrated functions, can be operated via a central HMI. In addition to good process visibility and easy access, all products ejected from the process accumulate at defined discharge a point, which allows simplified line clearance in the final stages of batch production.
As a result of its modular design, the Toploader provides the option of simply docking on additional modules, or components, such as labeling units and checkweighers. This allows for process-dependent configuration adapted to customer requirements.
The Pharma Toploader TTP enables Roche to profit from its minimal footprint, and the new packaging line takes care of all required production procedures. Short changeover times increase the machine's availability and allow for the production of the required volumes while maintaining high efficiency levels.
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