7 September 2006; Malvern UK: The announcement by Malvern Instruments Limited of a close working relationship with Copley Scientific, Europe’s largest manufacturer of inhaler test equipment, is positive news for developers of inhalation drug delivery systems. Malvern’s new generation Spraytec system, a dedicated instrument for particle size analysis of sprays and aerosols, and its associated inhalation cell have been developed to be fully compatible with a range of Copley Scientific instruments and accessories. This makes it easier for users to characterise inhaler sprays in complementary ways and facilitates the cross comparison of data from different techniques.
“We believe that the Spraytec is a valuable tool for developers of inhalation systems,” said Paul Kippax, product manager for the Spraytec system from Malvern Instruments. “Speed of measurement is a particularly attractive feature of laser diffraction – the Spraytec can make hundreds of measurements per day – and the data produced offers valuable insight into the processes of particle formation and dispersion during inhaler operation. Our work with Copley Scientific is an important route for the continued development of our product for this rapidly growing market.”
Also welcoming the news, Mark Copley, Sales Manager at Copley Scientific, said, “Whilst cascade impaction methods are essential in order to measure the aerodynamic particle size distribution of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API), new technologies are valuable in providing additional data. They can also help to accelerate the development of inhaler formulations and devices. This collaboration enhances our ability to offer customers effective products that can be used from the research phase right through to routine QC. Data from the Spraytec can therefore be used in conjunction with traditional cascade impactor testing to better understand inhaler output.”
Copley Scientific is a well-established supplier of equipment to the pharmaceutical and associated industries. The company offers an extensive range of products for research, production, clinical trials and quality control applications.
Malvern Instruments is a leading supplier of systems for the characterisation of particle and material properties. It offers fully automated solutions for the measurement of particle size distribution, particle shape, molecular weight, zeta potential and rheological properties.
This collaboration highlighted the value of combining complementary analytical techniques for inhaler testing. In particular, the use of Malvern Spraytec alongside established impactor-based methods helped support broader inhaler characterisation by enabling faster spray analysis together with cross-comparison against more traditional aerodynamic particle size distribution data.
Readers looking for current inhaler testing solutions can explore Copley Scientific’s inhaler testing range for more information on today’s instruments, accessories and support services.
About Malvern Instruments
Malvern Instruments Ltd is a global company that develops, manufactures and markets advanced analytical systems used in characterizing a wide variety of materials, from bulk powders to the latest nanomaterials and delicate macromolecules. Innovative technologies and powerful software produce systems that deliver industrially relevant data enabling customers to make the connection between micro (eg particle size) and macro (bulk) material properties (rheology) and chemical composition (chemical imaging). Malvern laboratory, on-line and in-line solutions are proven in sectors from cement to pharmaceuticals and support the understanding, improvement and optimization of many industrial processes.
Headquartered in Malvern, UK, the company has subsidiary organizations in all major European markets, North America, China, Korea and Japan, key partnerships in India, a global distributor network and a number of applications laboratories around the world. www.malvern.com
