PP-044 Evaluation of the quantos® powder dosing system for capsule manufacturing in a hospital pharmacy

Abstract

BackgroundThe Quantos powder dosing system (Mettler Toledo, Germany) offers the filling of small amounts of powders and liquids into different containers. Although it is already used for handling hazardous substances and/or preclinical drug development, very little information exists for the routine manufacturing of capsules in a hospital pharmacy.PurposeEvaluation of the accuracy and practicability of Quantos compared with the manual capsule filling (MAN) method in a hospital pharmacy.Material and methodsDifferent batches of hydrochlorothiazide and spironolactone capsules, at three dosage levels each, were produced using standard triturations. Quantification of the active ingredients was done by UV/Vis-spectroscopy using a validated method, and evaluation according to the standard examinations for capsules of the European Pharmacopoeia (PhEur 2.9.5/6 and 40) was performed. The time required for each production step was measured.ResultsAll batches passed the examinations for uniformity of mass and content (in relation to arithmetic mean) with a lower SD for Quantos versus MAN (1.91–3.35% vs 3.20–7.84%). Almost all batches contained about 90% of the declared dosage, although the content of the used triturations was almost 100%. As a consequence, PhEur 2.9.40, which additionally refers to the desired value, was passed more often by Quantos batches than MAN. In comparison with MAN, the Quantos system was slower.ConclusionWith both methods, capsules that are in accordance with the requirements of the PhEur can be produced. Although the Quantos system can fill the capsules more precisely and allows GMP conform documentation, the handling process for day to day capsule manufacturing can be improved. The recovery rate of about 90% might be due to incomplete emptying of the capsules before quantification. This finding also has major implications for the common practice of emptying capsules on the wards and needs further investigation.References and/or AcknowledgementsWe thank Mettler Toledo for permitting the project by lending a Quantos powder dosing system.Conflict of interest.

Autonomous biomimetic solid dispensing using a dual-arm robotic manipulator

“…The Quantos device uses a self-adaptive algorithm that optimises the dosing process based on previous dispenses. 11,12 For the Chemspeed GDU-Pfd, the dosing parameters can be either manually or automatically selected under normal or auto-mode. 7,9…”

“…The Quantos device uses a self-adaptive algorithm that optimises the dosing process based on previous dispenses. 11,12 For the Chemspeed GDU-Pfd, the dosing parameters can be either manually or automatically selected under normal or automode. 7,9 For these instruments to function well, they quite oen require the pre-treatment for solids with large grains using methods such as grinding to avoid large particles from blocking the dispensing heads.…”

“…Fig.1Steps involved in automated solid dispensing using a dual-arm robot; (1) first, the robot opens the balance door; (2) and (3) the robot then manipulates the empty vial and places it on the analytical balance pan, before closing the balance door (not shown); (4) the robot manipulates the sample hopper that contains the material to be dispense, transferring it from a sample storage area (shown on right of image(11)), and placing it next to the balance; (5) the robot uses a small spatula to mix the contents of the hopper, breaking up any agglomerates; (6) the robot scoops solid from the sample hopper using a spatula that is matched in size to the amount to be dispensed;(7) photographs showing the tilting and shaking operations used to dispense the solids into a glass funnel that delivers the material to the sample vial; (8) any excess, undispensed solid is returned to the sample hopper; (9) tilting operation for smallest spatula;(10) here the robot removes the sample vial and returns all material to the sample hopper in the case of over-dispensing beyond a preset threshold (i.e., a 'reset' operation); and(11) photograph showing the overall layout of the workflow. Videos of the solid dispensing process are provided in the Data availability section.…”