Continuous manufacturing of high quality pharmaceutical cocrystals integrated with process analytical tools for in-line process control

A continuous manufacturing process for pharmaceutical indomethacin–saccharine cocrystals was achieved by extrusion processing with high throughput. Down-stream milling and blending of the extrudates was followed by feeding the formulated cocrystals in a capsule-filling machine. By applying a quality by design approach, the process was optimized and scaled up to produce 3000 capsules/h of pharmaceutical cocrystals. Process analytical tools such as near infrared reflectance and spatial filter velocimetry probes were coupled at various process stages for in-line monitoring and quality control. Further physicochemical characterization of extruded batches confirmed the manufacturing of high quality cocrystals. A fully integrated continuous process starting from raw materials to produce a finished product was assembled with only six unit operations and a small footprint. The study is a paradigm of continuous manufacturing of pharmaceutical cocrystals