Foster Expands Bioactive and Pharmaceutical Compounding Capability

Foster Corporation with locations in Putnam Connecticut and North Las Vegas, Nevada recently  expanded their commitment to Pharmaceutical and Bioactive compounding. An emerging area for hot  melt extrusion (HME), additives/excipients are compounded with polymers/ingestible carriers that become  active in the body when exposed to time, temperature or chemicals. The pelletized finished compound  can then be further processed into a film, tube, granule, powder, stick, tablet or molded part. The hot melt  process is done in a cGMP class 100,000 clean room.

Some healthcare application areas include therapy, packaging, diagnostics, prevention and pain  management. The delivery platform can be a tablet, capsule, oral film, wound dressing/transdermal patch,  tubing, profile, powder coatings and implants.

To expand their capability, Foster added a 27 mm Leistritz twin screw extruder with fully integrated computer process controls, monitoring systems and highly accurate feeder systems. The class 100,000  clean room is 900 ft with a cGMP design.

Foster is well-positioned to work closely with manufacturers of pharmaceutical and bioactive products to assist in the development of innovative delivery systems. Foster was recently asked to develop a process to hot melt extrude actives and excipients together to produce pellets that could be extruded into a film. The film needed to be quick dissolving and gel free. Foster's development program included the characterization of the sensitivity of the ingredients, melt temperature stability and compatibility. They also needed to evaluate the raw material loading levels and uniformity. In addition to HME Foster conducted a eries of experimental trials to determine pre-mixing techniques, order of addition, heat history and feeding techniques to produce a compound that would successfully deliver a gel-free film.

For more information on Foster's pharmaceutical compounding services please call Larry Johnson, VP Sales/Marketing at Foster Corporation @ (413) 625-6231.

About Foster
Foster is a full-service material solutions company serving the medical device, pharmaceutical delivery, and biotechnology companies with extremely precise polymer technologies. Their solutions include a comprehensive range of biomedical materials, material development support, and supply chain
management.

Foster contact information:
Foster Corporation, 45 Ridge Rd Putnam Ct 06260, USA; Tel 860-928-4102; Fax 860-928-4226
West Coast: 4336 Losee Rd. Suite 8 North Las Vegas, NV 89030-3380, USA; Tel 702-644-4880; Fax
702-644-5819; www.fostercomp.com; e-mail: foster.corp@fostercomp.com

Or contact our European marketing partner, MedNet.
MedNet GmbH, Borkstrasse 10, 48163 Mnenster, Germany; Tel +49 (0) 251 32266-0;
Fax +49 (0) 251 32266-22; www.medneteurope.com; Contact: Matthias Heinz, Sales/Marketing - e-mail:
Matthias.heinz@medneteurope.com


Headquarters: 45 Ridge Rd.
Putnam, CT 06260
860.928.4102
Fax 860.928.4226
European Office: MedNet GmbH Borkstrasse 10
48163 Muenster Germany
Tel: +49 251 32266-0
Fax: +49 251 32266-22
foster.corp@fostercomp.com
www.fostercomp.com

Engineering Compounds
Applied Polymer Development
BioMedical Polymers
ISO 9001: 2000 Certified