Pfizer has formed a multi-year collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) for equipment design, based on Pfizer's existing portable, continuous, miniature and modular (PCMM) prototype for oral solid dose pharmaceutical development and manufacturing.

Pfizer's current PCMM prototype is an autonomous and transportable pod that may be shipped from location to location and readily brought on line to create a fully functional module that is compliant with good manufacturing practice (GMP) guidelines. Pfizer's PCMM technology is a manufacturing system that accelerates the speed of tablet production. By miniaturizing the equipment, the continuous process can be enclosed in a portable, autonomous space called a POD, which can be transported to any location in the world and quickly assembled

Together with GSK, which has technical and regulatory experience in continuous processing, Pfizer will conduct coordinated experiments to create a design of Pfizer's current PCMM prototype. This collaboration expands upon Pfizer's existing collaboration with GEA and G-CON Manufacturing, which resulted in the design of the current prototype unit presently implemented at Pfizer's labs in Groton, Connecticut.

“Pfizer's success in building a first-of-a-kind, transportable, modular prototype for oral solid dose pharmaceutical development and manufacturing holds promise to help transform industry practices, and we invite other organizations to join us in this effort,” said Rod MacKenzie, senior vice president, PharmaTherapeutics Research & Development at Pfizer,” in a company statement. “We believe coupling Pfizer's industry-leading development and manufacturing capabilities with GSK's experience and expertise in continuous processing has the potential to lead to a superior technology, thereby allowing us to more quickly and efficiently bring therapies to patients.”

Pfizer noted some key attributes of the PCMM technology. A PCMM facility has a 60 to 70% smaller footprint than a conventional production facility. PCMM enables use of the same equipment for development, clinical trials, and commercial manufacturing. A PCMM facility takes about one year to set up and start running, compared to two to three years for standard processes.

Source: Pfizer