Piramal Pharma Solutions, a global CDMO, has installed a Korsch X3 high containment tablet press at its API and oral solid development and manufacturing site in Morpeth, UK. This acquisition marks a milestone as Morpeth celebrates its 20th anniversary providing drug product manufacturing. Equipped with a specialized DryCon containment kit, the Korsch X3 is helping the site accelerate therapies.
Morpeth recently commissioned a new Korsch XM12 Single Layer/Bilayer press, a smaller-scale model that laid the foundation for the site’s commitment to the latest tablet press technology in the PreCommercial domain. As late phase and commercial demand grew, the team needed a press capable of handling a wider range of tablet sizes at both clinical and commercial scales. The X3 was selected through the site’s longstanding relationship with Korsch.
Piramal’s Korsch X3 is custom-configured to meet requirements around highly potent active pharmaceutical ingredients (HPAPIs), setting it apart from conventional tablet presses. With two customized turrets, it supports 25mm tablet manufacturing, expands the range of formulations the site can produce, and delivers greater operational efficiency and increased tablet strength. The X3 offers contained infeed from tote bins using split butterfly valve transitions docket to sanitary fittings, together with a contained finished product chute that delivers core tablets directly to coating operations.
The Korsch X3 is an investment in higher containment, greater throughput, and a single-operator concept, aimed at delivering enhanced efficiency and broader capabilities to clients. To address the risks associated with exposure to high-toxicity drugs, the X3 is equipped with front and dual-side glove ports and a misting system that dampens residual dust after batch completion.
“By expanding Morpeth’s capacity to manufacture tablets containing Band 5 HPAPIs, the Korsch X3 strengthens our ability to serve patients in therapeutic areas where high potency materials are essential, such as hormonals made in a dedicated hormone manufacturing facility,” said Peter DeYoung, CEO, Piramal Global Pharma. “This acquisition is the ideal way to celebrate the site’s twenty-year anniversary, reinforcing its legacy of helping to improve and extend the lives of patients worldwide.”
