Professor University of Bonn Bonn, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
Atmospheric freeze drying is a process that can allow for the continuous production of spherical low density pharmaceutical powders. While the resulting lyospheres® have shown several beneficial properties such as high porosity leading to nearly immediate dissolution even for poorly soluble drugs, the atmospheric drying step showed its superiority over vacuum drying in several cases, such ameliorated preservation of biological activity of protein drug formulations. Moreover, the spherical shape of lyospheres® offers great advantages due to their exceptional flowability, enabling delivery of lyophilisates via various routes of administration. From the manufacturing point of view, the current atmospheric drying process confirmed its potential towards a more sustainable production of lyophilisates by lowering of the energy consumption by 50% compared to a conventional vacuum freeze drying process of the same scale while being even faster.
Learning Objectives:
to highlight the potential of a more sustainable freeze drying method compared with conventional vacuum freeze drying.
identify the added value of this emerging alternative lyophilization technique that can provide potential solution by rapid freezing in combination with drying under atmospheric conditions.
enlarge the therapeutic uses of existing freeze dried products by providing alternative ways of delivery or easier handling.