Modernizing lyophilization of pharmaceuticals in unit doses via continuous manufacturing

This work shows an alternative pharmaceutical freeze-drying concept, which makes it possible to move from batch to continuous manufacturing. The continuous flow of vials is achieved by suspending them over a moving track. The vials move through chambers which have different pressure and temperature conditions and are separated by a load-lock system. Uniformity in freezing conditions is demonstrated by combining the Vacuum Induced Surface Freezing method and convective freezing.