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Measuring Equipment Key for a COVID-19 Vaccine

Nadia Rodríguez - Malvern Panalytical
Pharmaceutical Business Manager

STORY INLINE POST

Miriam Bello By Miriam Bello | Senior Journalist and Industry Analyst - Fri, 06/05/2020 - 11:43

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Q: How have your equipment sales grown and what new products have you introduced?

A: Seventy-five percent of our sales come from oral solid dose production in the region within the sector. The solutions we offer are used to analyze and measure particles, which is key for the development of any new product given the impacts on performance. The importance of particle size varies according to the product. Normally, its importance increases when developing oral solids, nasal sprays and suspensions. Particle size could impact the final performance of an oral solid, for example, ensuring correct dissolution. It could also affect the fluidity of the powder, meaning that it will not deliver the right final dose and the expected therapeutic outcome.

Q: Why is your equipment so important for Mexican pharmaceutical laboratories?

A: Malvern Panalytical is a pioneer and leader in particle size analysis. We are constantly innovating and are interested in providing state-of-the-art technology related to this type of analysis. Malvern Panalytical ensures that the equipment uses the best technology and materials, implying that the software will also be the best in terms of usability. Feedback from our clients has allowed us to simplify our analysis and reduce training costs, ensuring the most precise and direct results.

Q: How much of your portfolio does the generics industry represents?

A: In Mexico, this market represents around 70-80 percent of our operations. Mexican companies want to invest to increase their performance or solve production problems. Particle size is one of the major drivers in production, so we seek to offer a solution for companies in this regard.

To date, our equipment does not require COFEPRIS approval. While we do comply with regulations, it is not a necessity for our products. However, I do see a trend that will soon change this as demand for analysis is growing and it is indeed something that concerns the pharmaceutical sector. The US and the EU already includes these types of instruments on their pharmaceutical regulations due to their importance, so I hope that Mexico will include them too.

Q: What are the benefits of choosing Malvern Panalytical as an instrument supplier?

A: Malvern Panalytical’s extensive expertise is included in the cost of the instrument. We make sure to accompany clients during the life cycle of the product, as well as offering them constant information or updates on their tools. Malvern Panalytical is fully dedicated to commercialization. We recently partnered with Concept Life Science as a way to further complement our service offering and use of the equipment we sell.

In Mexico, Laser Diffraction, Automated Image Analysis and Dynamic Light Scattering are our most popular products in the pharmaceutical industry. For biopharmaceutical research, we offer macrocalorimetry equipment and particle size analysis instruments, but in Mexico this area is just starting to grow.

We also support the manufacturing industry related to medical devices, for example with respirators or nebulizers. We can provide equipment that evaluates their correct performance and ergonomics. This, however, is not a big area in our portfolio.

Q: What partnerships is Malvern Panalytical seeking to establish?

A: Concept Life Science is our most important partner as we are working together with many clients. In the pharmaceutical industry, many clients require a great deal of analysis but do not need to purchase the equipment. We approach these companies through Concept Life Science and complement each other’s work.

Many universities in Mexico use our instruments and they offer analytical services to the industry, so they are important partners for reaching pharmaceutical companies. Companies get to experience our products and end up purchasing them for themselves. While we help to create a link between the Academia and the Pharma Industry.

Q: What is the overall status of pharmaceutical development in Mexico and what direction is it taking?

A: Last year, we did not meet our projected growth. The pharmaceutical industry in general did not grow much in Mexico as a result of government policies changes. Also, normativity in the country has impacted our operations as analysis is not mandatory like it is in the US and the EU.

If Mexico were to allow the entrance of foreign API manufacturers, Malvern Panalytical would experience growth because we have instruments that support this part of the process, which is still an area of opportunity with Mexican players. Of course, this subject requires a number of regulations and norms to ensure quality of production.

Q: What are Malvern Panalytical’s goals in the short term?

A: We want to ally with companies and research hubs that are working on finding a vaccine for COVID-19. We can offer the technology needed to develop a safe product.  

 

Malvern Panalytical provides advanced measuring equipment for a range of industries, including the pharmaceutical sector. It also has a smaller division that offers support to the medical device sector with some instrumentation depending on the application

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