WuXi AppTec’s subsidiary WuXi STA has partnered with US-based robotics firm Multiply Labs to use automated manufacturing systems for producing individualised drugs.
The partnership is aimed at enabling the manufacturing of customised drugs for patients by combining robotic technology and expertise in drug product manufacturing.
As part of the engagement, Multiply Labs has installed a new robotic system at WuXi STA’s drug product manufacturing facility in Wuxi city, China. The robotic system will produce solid oral dosage forms like capsules with customised dosage strengths of a single active pharmaceutical ingredient (API).
It will also help produce capsules with personalised combinations of various APIs and their formulations.
Multiply Labs said that its robotic technology aims at a wide range of GMP manufacturing applications. These include the development of tailored medicine products for specific groups of patients and the combination of multiple drugs in a single capsule.
According to Multiply Labs, the technology can produce almost any type of capsules, including configurations that are challenging to produce with conventional methods. The robotic system is said to have been configured to handle the personalised deposition of most common formulations, including powders, powder blends, beads, granules, and minitabs.
The system can be pre-programmed to produce customised product batches to give customers greater flexibility. These batches could include different dosage strengths for various patients, various release profiles for improved therapeutic effects, and a variety of dosage forms.
Multiply Labs added that the system can produce multi-compartment capsules in addition to conventional capsules, making them ideal for medication combinations.
Multiply Labs co-founder and CEO Fred Parietti said: “WuXi STA is a globally recognised leader in the formulation development and manufacturing, and Multiply Labs is excited to partner with them in bringing our pioneering robotic technology to the market.
“Our joint teams have collaborated at an unprecedented speed to develop and deploy this unique technology. Our goal is to enable precision medicine to scale and reach all the patients who need it, and this breakthrough partnership is an exciting step forward towards that vision.”
In July this year, WuXi STA opened a new facility at its Changzhou campus in China.