Background
The global pharmaceutical industry is valued at more than one trillion dollars per year and the cost of drug manufacture represents around $150 billion including a cost of goods of 20–25%. The manufacturing of medicines utilises a range of processes where various materials are combined with drug substances to deliver a high-quality, consistent, and stable drug product.
A consistent feed of the raw materials into the processes, such as crystallisation, blending, or granulation, is of paramount importance as any variations in the feed stream directly impact the quality attributes of the final drug product.
The need to produce lifesaving medicines for small patient populations as well as to manufacture products with high-potency drugs and for small-scale clinical trials requires feeding processes capable of continuously delivering small amounts of material. Consistent and accurate powder flow rates in micro-feeding is a challenge across various industries including the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, chemical, and food industries. Current technologies, such as screw feeders and vibrating feeders, cannot achieve the accuracy and flow rates needed for manufacturing future drug products in a continuous manner.
