Design of a rapid, continuous, small-scale device for creating dry powders from concentrated suspensions containing active pharmaceutical ingredients

Abstract

Current methods of producing pharmaceutical compounds are large batch processes. The minimum time-to-patient for drug manufacturing is approximately 100 days. Using a continuous manufacturing process, the time-to-patient could be reduced to less than ten days. The scope of this paper encompasses the design of a machine for the desiccation of a mixture of solvent and pharmaceutical compound. The goal of this project was to provide a small-scale, high throughput method of continuous pharmaceutical drug drying for Novartis-MIT Center for Continuous Manufacturing. Specifications included a product flow rate of 100 grams per hour and a final product form of flowable powder. Several machines were built and tested, with the final design being comprised of a convective drum dryer and a modular continuous vacuum dryer.