Deepesh Upadhyay, Asst. Vice President, Delair India Pvt. Ltd.
The Indian pharma industry has achieved phenomenal milestones in recent years. Rising to prominence for supplying quality medicine at an affordable price, the pharma products of the country are sought across the globe. Exporting to more than 200 countries, India aspires to become the pharma powerhouse of the world.
To retain the supremacy of Indian pharma products, even the government has been undertaking initiatives to boost the prospects of the industry. In this pursuit, recently, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) were introduced to ensure the production of superior quality medicines that adhere to the stringent quality standards outlined by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Furthermore, the speculation by the Department of Pharmaceuticals about the impending patent cliff to be experienced by the pharmaceutical industry between 2023 and 2030 is a force to be reckoned with. Elevating the competition in the market, it will open the gateway for innovating and upgrading the pharma manufacturing processes. In the pursuit of meeting the demand projected in the market while maintaining quality, industry players will be required to strike the right balance between the pricing and availability of pharma products to strengthen their position in the international market.
But in order to tap the underlying opportunities in the industry, the various stakeholders should focus on creating a robust pharma manufacturing infrastructure in the country. This will invariably contribute to the production of safe, effective, and superior quality drugs. In the process, it will also help in mitigating the various threats jeopardising the growth of industry. A resilient infrastructure helps keep major deterrents at bay. Moisture, being one such factor, can severely interfere with the manufacturing processes and plague the industry.
The presence of moisture in compressed air can lead to the production of substandard medicines. Understanding that compressed air is required for a wide range of pneumatic operations throughout the processing, manufacturing, and packaging of pharmaceutical products, it is important to ensure the purity of the air. In manufacturing, compressed air finds application right from mixing to granulation, drying, pressing, coating, packaging, and many more critical processes. It is responsible for giving the right texture, colour, and flavour to the medicines in the production of tablets and capsules. Along with this, compressed air is also required for mixing powder, producing granules for tablet pressing, coating, and encapsulation. Likewise, it plays a crucial role in maintaining accuracy in the balance of ingredients while achieving precision in the measurement of each formula in liquid medicine. In the process, its role in the production of ointments, creams, gels, and syrups cannot be overlooked.
In the entire procedure, the presence of moisture in compressed air can prove to be destructive, as it can immensely hinder the tablet compression and tablet coating processes. Comprehending that the various materials used in medicines are highly hygroscopic in nature, the powdered materials are compressed into tablets under high pressure, and that too in a complete dry state. This is because moisture accounts for the lumping and caking of powder, which can culminate in the failure of the entire tableting process. Furthermore, in extreme cases, it also comes with the ability to initiate the decomposition of the drug. All the factors together ultimately lead to a decreased medicinal value of the drug.
At the same time, during the spray coating of tables, moisture in compressed air has the ability to significantly alter the colour, smell, and taste of pharmaceutical products. Giving rise to blisters, it can even result in breakage of the tablets. Furthermore, moisture is responsible for uneven coating, which compromises the quality of the medicines, leading to the revocation of the entire batch of drugs from the market.
Furthermore, the repercussions of moisture are not limited to inferior quality medicines and transcend to malfunctioning of the pneumatic tools and machines used in the manufacturing process. Moisture can induce corrosion in pipes, pneumatic operated cylinders, zig & fixtures and other components and invariably meddle with the smooth completion of the operations. Additionally, sluggish and inconsistent functioning of pneumatic valves and cylinders is the most common outcome of corrosion, which can take an ugly turn during cold weather, which promotes freezing issues. Cumulatively, all the factors can incur heavy losses on the pharma companies as they extend the downtime of the pneumatic machines and account for the high maintenance costs of the equipment. Looking from a broader perspective, moisture comes with the ability to impede the growth of the pharma industry.
As a result, to check the moisture menace, it is imperative to ensure that the compressed air supplied for pharmaceutical processes is free from contaminants. Manufacturers should be vigilant to guarantee that the pressurized air is devoid of even the slightest trace of moisture/water, oil vapors, dust particles, or any form of solid contaminants. For which, it is recommended to deploy Efficient & Reliable compressed air dryers for the thorough treatment of compressed air that can empower completion of various pneumatic processes without any hassle.
The dryers are packed with desiccant-based drying technology, which bodes well for processes requiring dry compressed air. Achieving an optimal atmospheric dew point temperature of (-40°C) to (-70°C) max, the desiccant on pressure swing principle/purge air is proficient at regenerating the desiccant bed by adsorbing and desorbing the water vapour.
Cumulatively, with the country on the path to fortifying its foothold in the international market, there is an incessant need to focus on the production of the highest-quality pharma products. It can be a game changer in helping the country penetrates deeper into the global market.
