GEA to supply contained tableting lines to top-tier Russian pharmaceutical company

GEA has been chosen by JSC Pharmasyntez, a leading Russian pharmaceutical company, to supply multiple contained tablet manufacturing lines for the production of highly potent hormonal products.

Commenting on the multi-million Euro deal, in cooperation with GEA’s representative in Russia, SolidPharma, Phil Gabb, Head of Solid Dosage Sales Support, GEA, said: “We are extremely pleased to be collaborating with Pharmasyntez and, in particular, with Mr Vikram Punia. He has very ambitious growth plans for his company and has a proven track record in achieving his goals.”

GEA will be working with Pharmasyntez to supply and implement three high containment oral solid dosage (OSD) form production lines for female and other hormonal preparations at the company’s Tyumen plant in Siberia. With a planned production capacity of more than a billion tablets per annum, the new facility will benefit from state-of-the-art manufacturing technology from GEA’s batch and continuous portfolio, including single-pot processing solutions — with unique features such as microwave drying and swinging bowl functionality to reduce drying times — MODUL® contained and wash-off-line rotary tablet presses, materials handling systems and MC BUCK® split valve technology. 

A specialist in the development and production of antitubercular, antineoplastic, antiretroviral medicines and hospital antibiotics, Pharmasyntez has a product range of 115 products comprising dosage forms such as tablets, capsules, granules, infusion solutions, sterile powders, and injectables.

“After a stringent review of equipment manufacturers around the globe, Pharmasyntez chose GEA to supply three complete lines - from powder handling to tableting - for its state-of-the-art hormone facility in Tyumen (Russia), said Mr. Vikram Punia.

“When it comes to the production of hormonal pharmaceuticals, there are a lot of critical issues to consider, such as operator safety, dosing, cross-contamination, etc. GEA offered us the best quality solutions for all of the above. We understand that reliable solutions require significant investment, but when it comes to pharma, quality is paramount, which is why we chose GEA,” he added.

“Russian pharma has come a long way in the last seven years, since the introduction of the Pharma 2020 program. Almost USD 5 billion has been invested in the pharma industry, more than 30 new manufacturing facilities have been built and, now, more than 80 per cent of the life-saving drugs used in Russia are made in Russia!”

“Today, more than 90 per cent of the hormone drugs used in the country are imported; Pharmasyntez, supported by the Ministry of Trade and Commerce, and the Institute of Endocrinology, decided to change that. As such, Pharmasyntez has invested more than EUR 50 million in the construction of a modern, GMP-compliant hormone facility.”

“Pharmasyntez would like to thank the Ministry of Trade and Commerce, particularly Mr Denis Manturov, Mr Ivan Dedov from the Institute of Endocrinology and, finally, Mr Vladimir Yakushev from the Tyumen government for their kind support, and VTB (bank) of Russia for financial assistance. The new facility will be one of the largest hormone drug production facilities in Europe, and we look forward to collaborating with current and future partners to improve the production and market access of these life-saving drugs,” he concluded.

In summary, Phil added: “As containment experts, we not only offer the largest variety of solutions for contained processing, but also unrivaled experience in identifying the most appropriate solution based on a containment risk analysis. Plus, from powder to coated tablet, no other supplier offers such as comprehensive range of batch-based and continuous tableting technologies, from powder handling to granulating, drying, compression and coating. This partnership with Pharmasyntez is another shining example of how, at GEA, we’re making science work.”