Bend, Oregon, USA

At Capsugel’s engineering pilot plant in Bend, we develop processes and scale up technologies, in addition to designing and constructing new equipment to meet specific needs.

Core Services: 

• Develop reproducible, robust processes for manufacturing pharmaceutical formulations
• Develop tools, including mathematical models, that promote fundamental understanding of the impact of process parameters and equipment configurations
• Scale up and manufacture formulations at pilot scale
• Manufacture formulations under non-cGMP conditions for developmental use

Capsugel operates a dedicated cGMP manufacturing facility in Bend that specializes in solid oral dosage-form manufacturing, especially for complex dosage forms. The facility, which is designed for maximum flexibility, can accommodate compounds with a wide range of safety classifications, as well as processes that employ organic solvents. We are equipped to manufacture a number of end products, from drug product intermediates (e.g., SDDs and multiparticulates) to solid dosage forms (e.g., tablets). The facility can manufacture amounts ranging from kilogram quantities up to metric‐ton capacity for Phase 3 clinical supplies under cGMP conditions.

In August 2015, Capsugel unveiled a new SDD commercial manufacturing facility in Bend, significantly increasing the company’s overall capacity and manufacturing capabilities. Now with three commercial-scale spray dryer units in Bend, Capsugel has established itself as the largest integrated pharmaceutical SDD technology provider in North America with the ability to support customers along a full spectrum from early-stage development to late-stage clinical and commercial manufacture. This facility has also been designed to accommodate future capacity additions.

The unique commercial-scale spray dryer units at this facility are designed to efficiently

• improve product throughput,
• minimize cycle times, and 
• accommodate high-potency compounds.

We are committed to encouraging interest in science among Central Oregon students. Since 1992, the annual Inventerprise science contest has posed a question to spark the imaginations of would-be scientists, challenging them to pursue inventive solutions to pressing problems. The contest, which is sponsored with help from the Bend-La Pine School District and Central Oregon Community College, attracts more than 1,000 entries each year from K-12 students.

We also offer Science Night, inviting Central Oregon students and their parents and teachers to join us at our Bend facilities for evenings of science and fun. A series of programs, featuring educational science demonstrations, are held several times each year. In a typical year, 600 third- through sixth-graders and 250 adults participate in Science Night, as do winners of the annual Inventerprise science contest. Employees also take the programs on the road, presenting them at small rural schools throughout the region.

Capsugel is a primary supporter of the Bend Science Station, a local nonprofit that promotes science literacy. Funding and board support make it possible for every fifth-grade student in the Bend-La Pine, Redmond, and Sisters school districts to spend time in an educational science laboratory, designing and conducting their own experiments and participating in a range of laboratory and field opportunities.

Capsugel supports higher education throughout Central Oregon and particularly values its partnerships with Central Oregon Community College and with Oregon State University-Cascades Campus, both located in Bend. We fund scholarships, provide internship opportunities, sponsor the annual COCC Math Contest, and donate equipment for student use. We also prize our relationships with Oregon Institute of Technology, the University of Oregon, Oregon State University in Corvallis, Portland State University, and Oregon Health and Science University.