Express Pharma

SP delivers world’s largest installation of commercial freeze dryers for diagnostics production

With the urgency of the pandemic and requirement for speed, SP was able to complete the delivery of 16 freeze dryers – including manufacturing, testing, and installation – in just four months

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SP has announced one of the world’s largest simultaneous installations of commercial lyophilizers for use in the production of diagnostic tests. The order, for SP lyophilizers, was made last year by a leading global healthcare company in response to the need for an increase in SARS-CoV-2 testing, a company statement said.

With the urgency of the pandemic and requirement for speed, SP was able to complete the delivery of 16 freeze dryers – including manufacturing, testing and installation – in just four months, it added.

It also said that lyophilization (freeze drying) is a crucial step in the production of diagnostics, vaccines and biologics, as it stabilises sensitive biological products to maintain their quality and efficacy and extend shelf life. SP VirTis Benchmark freeze dryers are custom-built lyophilizers made to meet pilot, clinical supply and production demands, and as a world-leading provider of fill-finish and freeze drying equipment, SP moved quickly to double its manufacturing capacity in order to supply the surge in demand for SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic test kits and vaccines.

Commenting on it, David Bull, SVP – Operations, said, “At the start of the pandemic last year, we looked at how we could restructure our operations and manufacturing capability, which, together with the recruitment of additional personnel, gave us the flexibility to respond to the sudden increase in demand for our freeze drying systems.”

In India, SP has two distributors, including a 30-year strong partnership with Spinco Biotech which has resulted in over 1,500 lyophilization installations including the first fully automated Fill-Finish Lyo line. Besides, it has recently set up The Freeze Drying Centre of Excellence at Spinco Towers, Chennai. Equipped with an SP LyoStar Freeze Dryer, this facility enables them to demonstrate the significant benefits of SP’s ControLyo controlled nucleation technology, as well as provides Spinco with additional tools to assist customers with process improvement opportunities.

Brian Larkin, CEO, SP, said, “When the COVID-19 crisis struck, it put many elements of the healthcare system under extreme pressure, including the significantly increased need for diagnostic testing…we were quickly able to increase manufacturing capacity at our sites in the US and Europe, and realise shorter delivery times in support of the scale-up demands of diagnostic testing kit manufacturers. We are building on this capability so that we can continue to respond to requirements for market leading fill-finish systems by pharmaceutical and diagnostics manufacturers, in short timeframes.”

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