Patheon is to specialise in high-potency at the company’s Milton Park, UK, facility. Investment in early development capabilities in Europe means increased capacity for handling highly potent compounds in the early pharmaceutical development phases in the UK and then feeding into the later stage and commercialisation capabilities at a site in Bourgoin, France.

The Milton Park facility is being upgraded to allow an increase in batch size as well as offer automated capsule filling, instrumented tablet compression and coating. The company now has expanded capacity for fully automated and contained manufacture up to Phase IIb, which enables faster and more efficient production and technology transfers. Another factor that plays into the expanded capacity for high-potency at Milton Park is the new disposable technology, which allows customers greater flexibility, especially those with highly potent compounds.

Marvin Faber, senior director, corporate environmental health and safety, will give a presentation at the HPAPI World Congress in Munich, Germany which will take place 26-27 February. His presentation is titled ‘Effective Highly Potent Compound Handlings in CMOs’ and will discuss how Patheon effectively and safely handles highly potent compounds. The HPAPI World Congress is Europe’s leading event for high-potency API development and manufacturing.

"HPAPIs form 10% of the overall market and are continuing to grow with a large number of discoveries for these compounds being made in Europe. Patheon currently is developing more than 400 high-potency projects across the globe," said Marvin Faber, Patheon senior director of corporate EH&S.

"We continue to invest in our capabilities to handle high-potency products and have significant resources to ensure contained, fast, efficient manufacturing on both a commercial and development scale. Disposable technologies have been a very effective tool for us when handling high-potency products on a development scale."

Patheon Inc. CA:PTI 0.00% is a leading provider of contract development and commercial manufacturing services to the global pharmaceutical industry for a full array of solid and sterile dosage forms. Through the company’s recent acquisition of Banner Pharmacaps, a market leader in soft gelatin capsule technology, Patheon now also includes a proprietary products and technology business.

Patheon provides the highest quality products and services to approximately 300 of the world’s leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. The company’s integrated network consists of 15 locations, including 12 commercial contract manufacturing facilities and nine development centres across North America and Europe. Patheon enables customer products to be launched with confidence anywhere in the world. For more information,