AqVida crowns innovative first decade with robotic filling breakthrough

Hamburg, Germany:– Innovative north German pharmaceutical company AqVida has marked its 10th anniversary by introducing highly advanced robotic isolator-based aseptic filling technology that represents a breakthrough for the oncology and biotech sectors.

“AqVida has invested a double digit million amount in an ultra-modern plant that will incorporate leading edge robotic isolator technology that breaks new ground in oncology and biotech manufacturing,” the company announced.

AqVida CEO and founder Wolfgang Heinze said he`d been inspired by the impact of robotic technology in the automotive and semiconductor industries to allow maximum flexibility and quality in the production. .
“The main advantage of introducing such technology is that maximizes the ‘Made in Germany’ factor that is one of AqVida’s main brand strengths”, Mr. Heinze declared.

Speed to market

“This step allows us to deepen our ‘Quality is Core’ commitment and provides greater opportunity for fast development, including product line-extensions,” said Mr. Heinze.

“AqVida’s aim is to be able to schedule, produce and supply quality drugs within few weeks of receiving an order, establishing us as most responsive and reliable oncology manufacturing partner,” Mr. Heinze declared.

AqVida’s distinctive abilities to offer speed to market and regulatory integration will be enhanced when the new MVP aseptic filling plant comes on lines, offering industry-leading levels of efficiency, JIT flexibility and safety.

The plant will boast features that include instant set-up, 100 per cent weight accuracy and weight control on vials that are filled using computer-controlled isolator technology and robotic transport.

The plant will produce vials ranging in size from 2ml to 100ml in batch sizes up to 300 liters and is suitable for filling of cytostatics and Antibody Drug Conjugates (ADCs).

Zero loss

“This will be a ‘Zero Loss’ facility – an end to the expectation that you always lose 20 to 50 vials at the start of production,” said Jürgen Lehmberg, Commercial Director at AqVida.

“Where you’re dealing with high technology products, write-offs like that can pose a real financial blow,” said Mr. Lehmberg.

“The technology we are building into this plant will be routine into the future but for now it is cutting edge for the pharma industry producing parenteral cytotoxics,” he reflected.

AqVida teamed with a leading Italian manufacturer of isolator technologies to develop the new plant. It will exhibit some of the novel solutions employed at CPhI Worldwide in Madrid in the autumn.

Successful decade

The announcement crowns what has been an exceptionally busy and successful 2015 for the North German research and manufacturing laboratory that specializes in the development, manufacturing and licensing of oncology drugs with high ethical values. The year has seen significant new licenses and high profile presence at leading events.

In early June, AqVida joined the elite of European drug developers at the prestige licensing and networking event euroPLX in Munich. The company used euroPLX to find new licenses for its growing oncology portfolio that now includes successful generics like Imatinib, Oxaliplatin, Paclitaxel, Irinotecan, Docetaxel and Gemcitabine as well as its new generation of biosimilar products like Sunitinib.

About AqVida

AqVida GmbH is a German pharmaceutical company specializing in development, registration, manufacturing and licensing/distribution of finished dosage forms mainly in the oncology sector. It has developed a portfolio of medicines for treating the most common types of cancer.
AqVida’s expertise in the development, registration and supply of generic oncology products has made the company a leading partner in the pharmaceutical industry. The Hamburg-based company also has offices in Oberhaching, Bavaria and in Hangzhou, China.

AqVida works alongside some of the major companies in the market of oncology products. Together with its partners AqVida has achieved substantial development and growth with its oncology portfolio.

After having developed and launched several oncology parenteral forms such as e.g. Paclitaxel, Docetaxel and Oxaliplatin, AqVida and its partner company, Benavis, have started development work on the ‘tinib’ series of molecular targeted anti-cancer molecules. AqVida is also developing other molecular targeted anti-cancer molecules, such as Sunitinib.

Products are sold under the AqVida brand or those of its partners’ in the EU and other markets.

AqVida has an impressive track record in oncology, obtaining some 150 approvals for its products in several countries over the past few years. Well-established manufacturing and supply-chain have been established as part of AqVida’s leading presence in the high-quality German oncology market.

AqVida’s “Quality is Core” policy and very stringent drug safety expections applies to all new product develoment, which are all carried out in-house.