GEA and Perceptive Engineering Collaborate on Advanced Monitoring and Control

GEA and UK-based Perceptive Engineering will collaborate to promote and deploy multivariate monitoring and advanced process control (APC) solutions for batch and continuous pharmaceutical process units, the companies announced on May 24, 2018. The partnership will further enhance GEA’s ConsiGma platform for oral solid dose (OSD) pharmaceutical development and manufacturing by offering “out of the box” APC and monitoring capabilities. The continuous monitoring of product quality can prevent out-of-specification deviations and decrease production costs, as well as reducing final quality inspections by facilitating real-time release testing.

Perceptive’s PharmaMV platform provides modular tools to design, deploy, and maintain advanced applications within a regulated environment. The partnership builds on the successful implementation of Perceptive’s APC platform into the first-generation PCMM (portable, continuous, miniature, and modular) platform for the development and production of pharmaceutical OSDs. The PCMM was originally conceived by GEA, Pfizer, and G-CON; the three companies formed a consortium to design and build a portable, autonomous manufacturing environment for continuous OSD production using GEA’s ConsiGma 25 continuous tableting line and G-CON's modular POD system. 

The collaboration between GEA and Perceptive also builds on the previously announced relationship between GEA and Siemens, as well as the existing association between Siemens and Perceptive. Together, the companies provide an industrially proven solution for pharmaceutical manufacturers, comprising both hardware and software platforms, as well as process analytical technology integration, process monitoring, process analytics, control, and optimization. This complete, seamless suite is designed to help pharma companies exploit the opportunities presented by moving to continuous manufacturing.

“With collaborations such as this one, GEA and its partners are leading the way toward smaller, more flexible continuous processing technologies that have the potential to transform the future of pharmaceutical development and manufacturing-and deliver customized quantities of drugs to patients in need in a quick and efficient way,” said Phillip Gabb, head of Solid Dosage Sales Support at GEA, in the press release.

Source: GEA