Lonza secures manufacturing contract using microreactor technology

Swiss pharmaceutical firm Lonza has won a manufacturing contract with a big pharma company based on Lonza's proprietary microreactor technology (MRT).

Lonza entered the microreactor market in 2003 and initiated a technology project for the production of fine chemicals. The programme resulted in a range of microreactors (patent pending) on different scales. The technology covers flow rates from a few to several hundred millilitres/min.

The Lonza system does not require external/internal parallelisation for high flow applications, thus it is able to produce multi-ton large-scale quantities with the same device.

"The Lonza microcreactor offers state-of-the-art technology and assures quality robustness, easy cleaning and changeover procedures in a GMP environment. The Lonza reactor is capable of producing three tons of isolated materials within a campaign of a few weeks," said Uwe Boehlke, head of Lonza Exclusive Synthesis.

MRT uses continuous flow processes based on plug flow reactors. It requires minimal reagent volumes while offering rapid dynamic responses and robustness. The systems allow excellent temperature control and efficient mixing procedures, the company says.

The technology also delivers new chemical routes, reduced solvent usage, higher yields than conventional batch process and reduced changeover time.