HPMC, Gelatin, and Alternate Polymer Capsules

The launch of the Coni-Snap® capsule closure ushered in an era of reliance on the engineering of a product design to provide reliable delivery.  Among the design innovations that followed were a simple and less expensive means to over-encapsulate a comparator product and ensure the integrity of blind clinical trials. 

Today, liquid-filled hard capsules are manufactured at ever higher speeds as innovative engineering in capsule design have developed closure mechanisms precisely for liquid formulations and unique fusion sealing to ensure a leak-proof finished product.

Developers of both innovative new drugs and generic products are increasingly interested in using thermo-gelled HPMC capsules because of their stability, outcomes and Six Sigma quality levels. We also continue to drive advancements in specialty polymer capsules. In fact, Capsugel provides the widest array of non-animal based specialty polymers that address the needs and preferences of formulators, product designers, regulatory agencies and consumers globally. 

A new addition to the Lonza Capsugel® Hydroxypropyl Methyl Cellulose (HPMC) portfolio offering is Vcaps^® Gen C, a high-quality capsule based on a carrageenan gelling-agent formulation. 

The full range of Capsugel’s specialized capsules provide unique, rapid advancement opportunities and development pathways in order to:

• Improve product effectiveness in terms of bioavailability, targeted delivery, enhanced and optimized PK profile and other important functionality
• Provide enteric protection / delayed release without the need for functional coatings
• Provide customized critical capsule parameters such as weight, water content, and microbial measure
• Appeal to patients and consumers while optimizing compliance and convenience through taste- and odor-masking
• Provide custom engineered release profiles for consistent pulmonary drug delivery 
• Increase ease of opening through specialized sprinkle designs to meet requirements of specific patient populations
• Deliver innovative drug delivery forms for product differentiation, line-extensions and branding
• Provide simple solutions for pre-clinical and clinical trials that reduce time and effort
• Provide color and identification that meet regulatory requirements and increase the potential of patient compliance while reducing the potential for medical error

Producing 200 billion empty capsules per year requires a reliable, highly efficient and integrated global network of manufacturing sites in the Americas, Europe, India, China, Japan and Indonesia, all performing to the same identical specifications. This level of product and process control provides an assurance of supply to the largest and smallest of biopharmaceutical and consumer health and nutrition companies.