The 18mm Leistritz extruder helps make the drugs more soluble with dispersions from Ashland, thereby scaling up to GMP clinical and commercial quantities produced by hot-melt extrusion.
Ashland has developed multiple solid dispersions formulations with pharmaceutically acceptable polymers including Plasdone S-630 copovidone and Klucel hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC).
The company said it can now leverage its experience in hot-melt extrusion processes at a GMP level.
At present, Ashland offers formulation development and GMP manufacturing of spray-dried dispersions ranging from proof-of-concept to clinical- and commercial-scale manufacturing.
The company will complete installing and testing of the equipment in the fourth quarter of this year and operation is likely to begin in early 2012.