O'Hara Labcoat Tablet Coating Equipment With Containment

Richmond Hill, Canada - O'Hara Technologies Inc. responds to an increasing demand from the pharmaceutical industry for high containment processes and improved operator protection. O'Hara introduces a contained version of its laboratory and pilotscale tablet coating equipment with modifications to accommodate flexible containment systems. In cooperation with ILC Dover, O'Hara has developed one of the most efficient containment systems for a wide range of potent compounds.

Containment for the O'Hara Labcoat is provided by two individual rectangular enclosures. One enclosure surrounds the pan access door and the second the exhaust plenum access door. The enclosure is manufactured from clear ArmoFlex film that allows room light to illuminate inside the enclosure for easy viewing. The pan access enclosure is used for product charging and removal as well as sampling, cleaning and spray gun maintenance. It has one pair of glove sleeves. Attachment flanges running outward from the cabinet around each of the access doors provide a means of attachments for the enclosures. This allows for containment to be applied to the process area of the equipment with the technical area segregated from any contamination. Disposable components of this system allow short cleaning and cleaning validation times reducing operating costs and improving processing efficiency. Flexibility of this unit allows the end user to process contained when needed and to use standard tablet coating procedures when containment is not required.

The enclosure also includes a spray-wand cleaning sleeve to allow misting of the interior of the enclosure during cleaning. Spray mist of the inside of the flexible enclosure and surface of the equipment within the contained area eliminates airborne contaminations prior to removing the containment. Cleaning of the surface of the equipment is done following normal practices.

This system provides OEB containment level with results in the nanogram range. This is based on customer based data and third party testing to the "SMEPAC" protocols on similar designs, and the 100% inflation tests performed on the deliverable systems.

SOURCE: O'Hara Technologies Inc.