Boehringer Ingelheim identifies particles with the Liquid Particle Explorer

14-Jun-2004

Boehringer Ingelheim opts for the best high-performance system for reliable identification of microparticles by rap.ID Particle Systems GmbH.

At Boehringer Ingelheim, the innovative combination of Liquid Particle Explorer and a microscope supports development and production in the rapidly growing sector of modern inhalers. "We are very happy to have won Boehringer Ingelheim for our Liquid Particle Explorer and will ensure that the introduction of our technology and the success it promises will rapidly mature to show measurable advancement," says Dr. Oliver K. Valet, managing partner at rap.ID.

Micrometer particles can be identified simply, quickly and reliably by the Liquid Particle Explorer using the patented and highly automated micro Raman spectroscopy. The only manual step is the standardized filtration of a solution on the patented membrane. The result is the material definition of each single particle through integrated database querying of the particles' "fingerprints" in the form of Raman spectra. For example, it documents the identity and quantity of hundreds of rubber, titanium oxide, soot or polyethylene particles of a specimen. Of major importance for global pharmaceutical producers is that software and documentation correspond to the strict directives and requirements of the US health authorities. Medicament manufacturers thus obtain a statistically relevant overview of size, form and material composition of micrometer particles as of 2µm, in a reliable form that can be validated. The system is a superlative supplement to already established techniques that can define only the elemental composition of the particles, since for the first time it enables the unerring and automated identification of organic and inorganic compounds up to a dissolution of 1µm.

rap.ID Particle Systems provides a comprehensive service for carrying out particle studies, trouble-shooting analyses and also for support and training in the application of Particle Explorer technology. Dr. Michael Niemann, from the drug delivery department at Boehringer Ingelheim, comments: "We got to know the performance capacity of the system through the particle analysis studies successfully carried out by rap.ID. The possibility of characterizing large quantities of particles with a high level of reliability and automated methods tipped the balance for us to make our decision." The tight networking of analysis apparatus, consulting and training means rapid and uncomplicated support for customers in directly generating and exploiting the results of the particle examination in everyday production routine.

The first applications in rapidly growing modern products such as bio-pharmaceutics and inhalers are the very things that will comprise another major step in establishing rap.ID's progressive particle-measuring technology in the pharmaceutical industry.

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