Jos Corver

Terahertz spectroscopy to identify the polymorphs in freeze-dried mannitol

We show how terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) in the range from 0.1 to 7.5 THz can be used to identify the polymorphs of Mannitol, a frequently used excipient in the freeze drying industry. The results are subsequently used to study the effect that different freeze drying techniques have on the formation of these polymorphs. We find that, depending on the freeze-drying technique, the Mannitol either crystallizes in the delta form, or in a mixture of both the delta form and the beta form. The results are in agreement with conventional X-ray diffraction measurements used to identify the polymorphs.

Evaluation of spin freezing versus conventional freezing as part of a continuous pharmaceutical freeze-drying concept for unit doses

Spin-freezing as alternative freezing approach was evaluated as part of an innovative continuous pharmaceutical freeze-drying concept for unit doses. The aim of this paper was to compare the sublimation rate of spin-frozen vials versus traditionally frozen vials in a batch freeze-dryer, and its impact on total drying time. Five different formulations, each having a different dry cake resistance, were tested. After freezing, the traditionally frozen vials were placed on the shelves while the spin-frozen vials were placed in aluminum vial holders providing radial energy supply during drying. Different primary drying conditions and chamber pressures were evaluated. After 2h of primary drying, the amount of sublimed ice was determined in each vial. Each formulation was monitored in-line using NIR spectroscopy during drying to determine the sublimation endpoint and the influence of drying conditions upon total drying time. For all tested formulations and applied freeze-drying conditions, there was a significant higher sublimation rate in the spin-frozen vials. This can be explained by the larger product surface and the lower importance of product resistance because of the much thinner product layers in the spin frozen vials. The in-line NIR measurements allowed evaluating the influence of applied drying conditions on the drying trajectories.

Quantitative risk assessment via uncertainty analysis in combination with error propagation for the determination of the dynamic Design Space of the primary drying step during freeze-drying

Graphical abstract Figure. No Caption available. ABSTRACT Traditional pharmaceutical freeze‐drying is an inefficient batch process often applied to improve the stability of biopharmaceutical drug products. The freeze‐drying process is regulated by the (dynamic) settings of the adaptable process parameters shelf temperature Symbol and chamber pressure Symbol. Mechanistic modelling of the primary drying step allows the computation of the optimal combination of Symbol and Symbol in function of the primary drying time. In this study, an uncertainty analysis was performed on the mechanistic primary drying model to construct the dynamic Design Space for the primary drying step of a freeze‐drying process, allowing to quantitatively estimate and control the risk of cake collapse (i.e., the Risk of Failure (RoF)). The propagation of the error on the estimation of the thickness of the dried layer Symbol as function of primary drying time was included in the uncertainty analysis. The constructed dynamic Design Space and the predicted primary drying endpoint were experimentally verified for different RoF acceptance levels (1%, 25%, 50% and 99% RoF), defined as the chance of macroscopic cake collapse in one or more vials. An acceptable cake structure was only obtained for the verification runs with a preset RoF of 1% and 25%. The run with the nominal values for the input variables (RoF of 50%) led to collapse in a significant number of vials. For each RoF acceptance level, the experimentally determined primary drying endpoint was situated below the computed endpoint, with a certainty of 99%, ensuring sublimation was finished before secondary drying was started. The uncertainty on the model input parameters demonstrates the need of the uncertainty analysis for the determination of the dynamic Design Space to quantitatively estimate the risk of batch rejection due to cake collapse. Symbol. No Caption available. Symbol. No Caption available. Symbol. No Caption available. Symbol. No Caption available. Symbol. No Caption available.

Mechanistic modelling of infrared mediated energy transfer during the primary drying step of a continuous freeze-drying process

&NA; Conventional pharmaceutical freeze‐drying is an inefficient and expensive batch‐wise process, associated with several disadvantages leading to an uncontrolled end product variability. The proposed continuous alternative, based on spinning the vials during freezing and on optimal energy supply during drying, strongly increases process efficiency and improves product quality (uniformity). The heat transfer during continuous drying of the spin frozen vials is provided via non‐contact infrared (IR) radiation. The energy transfer to the spin frozen vials should be optimised to maximise the drying efficiency while avoiding cake collapse. Therefore, a mechanistic model was developed which allows computing the optimal, dynamic IR heater temperature in function of the primary drying progress and which, hence, also allows predicting the primary drying endpoint based on the applied dynamic IR heater temperature. The model was validated by drying spin frozen vials containing the model formulation (3.9 mL in 10R vials) according to the computed IR heater temperature profile. In total, 6 validation experiments were conducted. The primary drying endpoint was experimentally determined via in‐line near‐infrared (NIR) spectroscopy and compared with the endpoint predicted by the model (50 min). The mean ratio of the experimental drying time to the predicted value was 0.91, indicating a good agreement between the model predictions and the experimental data. The end product had an elegant product appearance (visual inspection) and an acceptable residual moisture content (Karl Fischer). Graphical abstract Figure. No caption available.

Potential of Near-Infrared Chemical Imaging as Process Analytical Technology Tool for Continuous Freeze-Drying

Near-infrared chemical imaging (NIR-CI) is an emerging tool for process monitoring because it combines the chemical selectivity of vibrational spectroscopy with spatial information. Whereas traditional near-infrared spectroscopy is an attractive technique for water content determination and solid-state investigation of lyophilized products, chemical imaging opens up possibilities for assessing the homogeneity of these critical quality attributes (CQAs) throughout the entire product. In this contribution, we aim to evaluate NIR-CI as a process analytical technology (PAT) tool for at-line inspection of continuously freeze-dried pharmaceutical unit doses based on spin freezing. The chemical images of freeze-dried mannitol samples were resolved via multivariate curve resolution, allowing us to visualize the distribution of mannitol solid forms throughout the entire cake. Second, a mannitol-sucrose formulation was lyophilized with variable drying times for inducing changes in water content. Analyzing the corresponding chemical images via principal component analysis, vial-to-vial variations as well as within-vial inhomogeneity in water content could be detected. Furthermore, a partial least-squares regression model was constructed for quantifying the water content in each pixel of the chemical images. It was hence concluded that NIR-CI is inherently a most promising PAT tool for continuously monitoring freeze-dried samples. Although some practicalities are still to be solved, this analytical technique could be applied in-line for CQA evaluation and for detecting the drying end point.

Modelling the primary drying step for the determination of the optimal dynamic heating pad temperature in a continuous pharmaceutical freeze-drying process for unit doses

In the pharmaceutical industry, traditional freeze-drying of unit doses is a batch-wise process associated with many disadvantages. To overcome these disadvantages and to guarantee a uniform product quality and high process efficiency, a continuous freeze-drying process is developed and evaluated. The main differences between the proposed continuous freeze-drying process and traditional freeze-drying can be found firstly in the freezing step during which the vials are rotated around their longitudinal axis (spin freezing), and secondly in the drying step during which the energy for sublimation and desorption is provided through the vial wall by conduction via an electrical heating pad. To obtain a more efficient drying process, the energy transfer has to be optimised without exceeding the product and process limits (e.g. cake collapse, choked flow). Therefore, a mechanistic model describing primary drying during continuous lyophilisation of unit doses based on conduction via heating pads was developed allowing the prediction of the optimal dynamic power input and temperature output of the electric heating pads. The model was verified by experimentally testing the optimal dynamic primary drying conditions calculated for a model formulation. The primary drying endpoint of the model formulation was determined via in-line NIR spectroscopy. This endpoint was then compared with the predicted model based endpoint. The mean ratio between the experimental and model based predicted drying time for six verification runs was 1.05±0.07, indicating a good accordance between the model and the experimental data.

Global Sensitivity Analysis as Good Modelling Practices tool for the identification of the most influential process parameters of the primary drying step during freeze-drying

Graphical abstract Figure. No Caption available. Abstract Pharmaceutical batch freeze‐drying is commonly used to improve the stability of biological therapeutics. The primary drying step is regulated by the dynamic settings of the adaptable process variables, shelf temperature Symbol and chamber pressure Symbol. Mechanistic modelling of the primary drying step leads to the optimal dynamic combination of these adaptable process variables in function of time. According to Good Modelling Practices, a Global Sensitivity Analysis (GSA) is essential for appropriate model building. In this study, both a regression‐based and variance‐based GSA were conducted on a validated mechanistic primary drying model to estimate the impact of several model input parameters on two output variables, the product temperature at the sublimation front Symbol and the sublimation rate Symbol. Symbol was identified as most influential parameter on both Symbol and Symbol, followed by Symbol and the dried product mass transfer resistance Symbol for Symbol and Symbol, respectively. The GSA findings were experimentally validated for Symbol via a Design of Experiments (DoE) approach. The results indicated that GSA is a very useful tool for the evaluation of the impact of different process variables on the model outcome, leading to essential process knowledge, without the need for time‐consuming experiments (e.g., DoE). Symbol. No caption available. Symbol. No caption available. Symbol. No caption available. Symbol. No caption available. Symbol. No caption available.

The relevance of shear, sedimentation and diffusion during spin freezing, as potential first step of a continuous freeze-drying process for unit doses.

Recently, a continuous freeze-drying process for the production of unit doses was presented and evaluated. In this concept, the freezing step is modified compared to traditional batch freeze-drying, as glass vials filled with a liquid formulation, are rotated around their longitudinal axis while cooled and frozen with a cold, sterile and inert gas (i.e. spin freezing). Finally, a thin frozen product layer spread over the entire vial wall is achieved. The aim of this paper is twofold: firstly, the relation between the rotation velocity and the relative difference between top and bottom of the frozen product layer thickness was determined for different vial types. Secondly, the impact of shear and centrifugal forces generated during spinning was examined, to find out whether they might cause pharmaceutical instability and sedimentation, respectively. Mechanistic and experimental evaluation showed that shear has no effect on proteins. Calculations showed that the sedimentation and diffusion velocity is too low to cause inhomogeneity in the product layer. In addition, Global Sensitivity Analysis (GSA) and Uncertainty Analysis (UA) were performed in order to account for the uncertainty of the used mechanistic model.

Developing a framework to model the primary drying step of a continuous freeze-drying process based on infrared radiation

Graphical abstract Figure. No caption available. &NA; The continuous freeze‐drying concept based on spinning the vials during freezing and on non‐contact energy transfer via infrared (IR) radiation during drying, improves process efficiency and product quality (uniformity) compared to conventional batch freeze‐drying. Automated control of this process requires the fundamental mechanistic modelling of each individual process step. Therefore, a framework is presented for the modelling and control of the continuous primary drying step based on non‐contact IR radiation. The IR radiation emitted by the radiator filaments passes through various materials before finally reaching the spin frozen vial. The energy transfer was computed by combining physical laws with Monte Carlo simulations and was verified with experimental data. The influence of the transmission properties of various materials on the emitted IR radiation profile was evaluated. These results assist in the selection of proper materials which could serve as IR window in the continuous freeze‐drying prototype. The modelling framework presented in this paper fits the model‐based design approach used for the development of this prototype and shows the potential benefits of this design strategy by establishing the desired engineering parameters and by enabling the engineer to assess mechanical tolerances and material options.

Thermal imaging as a non-contact in-line process analytical tool for product temperature monitoring during continuous freeze-drying of unit doses

Freeze-drying is a well-established technique to improve the stability of biopharmaceuticals which are unstable in aqueous solution. To obtain an elegant dried product appearance, the temperature at the moving sublimation interface Ti should be kept below the critical product temperature Ti,crit during primary drying. The static temperature sensors applied in batch freeze-drying provide unreliable Ti data due to their invasive character. In addition, these sensors are incompatible with the continuous freeze-drying concept based on spinning of the vials during freezing, leading to a thin product layer spread over the entire inner vial wall. During continuous freeze-drying, the sublimation front moves from the inner side of the vial toward the glass wall, offering the unique opportunity to monitor Ti via noncontact inline thermal imaging. Via Fouriers law of thermal conduction, the temperature gradient over the vial wall and ice layer was quantified, which allowed the exact measurement of Ti during the entire primary drying step. On the basis of the obtained thermal images, the infrared (IR) energy transfer was computed via the Stefan-Boltzmann law and the dried product mass transfer resistance ( Rp) profile was obtained. This procedure allows the determination of the optimal dynamic IR heater temperature profile for the continuous freeze-drying of any product. In addition, the end point of primary drying was detected via thermal imaging and confirmed by inline near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy. Both applications show that thermal imaging is a suitable and promising process analytical tool for noninvasive temperature measurements during continuous freeze-drying, with the potential for inline process monitoring and control.