Ferring VideometerLab for in-process control during the
manufacture of solid dosage forms
As any manufacturer of pharmaceutical products Ferring
Pharmaceuticals is challenged with increasing production and
quality demands. As part of a novel front-edge tablet production
technology, Ferring needed a highly accurate and robust
vision-system for monitoring and controlling process parameters.
A VideometerLabXY system was implemented at the production site
in St. Prex, Switzerland, as an automated at-line inspection
system. The vision-system measures shape- and
texture-distribution of bulk granule samples and was integrated
as a validated and 21 CFR Part 11 compliant system. The analysis
is based on multi-spectral digital images scanned by a
high-resolution camera. The state-of-the-art image calibration
technology ensures that image-standardization is maintained
through-out the life-time of the instrument.
Ferring realized that Videometer’s solution was superior to a
number of alternative solutions due to its high level of
performance and flexibility. Tue Hansen, Process Specialist at
Ferring Pharmaceuticals stated: “None of the alternative systems
we considered acquiring were capable of providing as reliable
data on up to 8000 of our granules in the desired timeframe i.e.
in less than 15 minutes. Moreover, if we had implemented a
classic laboratory vision system based on a digital camera /
microscope and standard analysis-software we would have been
restricted to doing standard size measurements only. With
Videometer’s solution we have a system that is tailored to our
needs and which can be easily modified to perform other types of
measurements. Further, the system benefits from being rugged.
Thus, it posed no concerns to place it directly in the
production environment” Finally, it is considered an advantage
that the equipment does not require expert knowledge for correct
measurements to be made. “Accordingly, the image analysis can be
easily integrated into the list of tasks handled by the process
operators themselves”.
Tue Hansen concludes by mentioning a derived advantage of the
system: “The fact, that the process operators are directly
involved in getting process feedback does not only result in a
reduced response time. It is also expected to convey a greater
sense of ownership and control over the process to the process
operators, and hereby securing a high level of motivation. By
the enhanced process-understanding we gain from the system,
Videometer’s system lives up to tomorrow’s demands for process
understanding and continuous improvements”.
Tue Hansen expects that Ferring will apply Videometer’s solution
to other products and processes in the future. The software can
be set up with other algorithms, and more color wavelengths can
be added to the existing inspection unit if necessary, without
tampering existing measurements.
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