ライフィクスアナリティカル List of News Articles

In recent years, the pharmaceutical industry has rapidly advanced the development of biopharmaceuticals such as therapeutic proteins and vaccines. These drugs face challenges regarding stability in aqueous solution, which is why freeze-drying has become an essential technology for long-term storage. Traditional freeze-drying is conducted in a batch process that handles multiple vials at once, resulting in long processing times and high costs. Furthermore, controlling the freezing process is difficult, leading to variations in ice crystal size among vials, which causes inconsistencies in drying rates and poses challenges for ensuring product quality uniformity. Additionally, the heat distribution within the drying chamber is uneven, raising concerns about the risk of product collapse and quality variability. To address these issues, a new manufacturing technology called "continuous freeze-drying" has emerged in recent years. This technology combines continuous supply of raw materials with continuous discharge of products, achieving shorter processing times, cost reductions, and smaller equipment. Moreover, it reduces quality differences between vials, allowing for the efficient production of uniform and stable products. This groundbreaking technology has been further commercialized by RheaVita since its introduction in 2019, and in March 2025, a GMP-compliant system was implemented at their headquarters in Belgium.

We will be exhibiting at the "41st Annual Meeting of the Japanese DDS Society" (at Makuhari Messe International Conference Hall) to be held from June 17 to 18, 2025, with a panel display by RheaVita. RheaVita is a pioneer in continuous freeze-drying technology, providing innovative solutions for formulation development and manufacturing processes. In this exhibition, we will introduce the company's technology through a panel display. The installation of the "GMP-Flex" continuous freeze-drying system, compliant with GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) standards, has been completed at our headquarters in Belgium, enabling its application in actual formulation development and commercial manufacturing. We warmly invite you to visit our booth during the event. We look forward to seeing you there.

We are pleased to announce that the GMP-Flex freeze dryer is ready for display and that the world's first system for continuous freeze-drying of pharmaceuticals has been installed at Rheavita's headquarters in Ghent, Belgium. This cutting-edge technology enables the production of small batch sizes, and the design for our first customer is already in progress. Furthermore, in collaboration with our strategic partners, we aim to further develop this technology and provide optimal freeze-drying solutions to more pharmaceutical companies.

On November 18, 2024, RheaVita, a pioneer in controlled continuous freeze-drying technology for biopharmaceuticals, will announce a strategic partnership with IMA Life, one of the pharmaceutical divisions of the IMA Group, a global leader in advanced and sterile pharmaceutical processes and production solutions. This partnership includes a financial investment from IMA Life in RheaVita and ongoing support to expand the development and commercialization of RheaVita's cutting-edge technology in the global market.

Prof. Thomas De Beer, CEO of RheaVita, will present data on the readiness for production in compliance with GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice). This presentation will also cover the results of CIP/SIP (Clean-in-Place/Sterilize-in-Place) and the tracking and traceability of individual products. Additionally, it will explain the rapid transition from research and development (R&D) to pilot scale and then to GMP production scale. Venue: IFPAC (International Forum on Process Analytical Technology) Date: March 5, 2025 Location: North Bethesda, Maryland, USA