Catalent Announces Busy Agenda At Controlled Release Society Annual Meeting
Somerset, N.J. – July 22, 2015 — Catalent Pharma Solutions, the leading global provider of advanced delivery technologies and development solutions for drugs, biologics and consumer health products, today announced that its executives will participate in a number of events at the upcoming Controlled Release Society Annual Meeting, to be held at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre, Edinburgh, UK, on the 25th – 29th July, 2015.
Dr. David Rabuka, Catalent’s Global Head of R&D, Chemical Biology, will host a pre-meeting workshop, entitled “Delivery of Therapeutic Bioconjugates: From Polymer Conjugates to Antibody-Drug Conjugates,” on Sunday, July 26th at 9.00 a.m.
Later that day, Nidhi Mahajan, a Formulation Scientist at Catalent, working on bioavailability enhancement using OptiMelt™ Hot Melt Extrusion (HME) technology, will jointly present with Dr. Nigel Langley, Director of Technical Services, Global Development and Technical Marketing, Pharma Ingredients and Services, from Catalent’s technology partner, BASF Corporation, at 11.30 a.m. The session, entitled “Formulation Solutions Using Hot Melt Extrusion for Poorly Soluble Drugs,” will discuss development of oral solid dosage forms, leveraging the OptiMelt technology. Guidance will be given on the selection and screening of polymers and excipients for optimal development and scale-up of HME products.
On the afternoon of Sunday, July 26th, Michael Valazza, Catalent’s Vice President of Global Business Development, will also be moderating the soapbox sessions, where the most innovative technologies and products in development will be showcased by conference attendees and exhibitors. The session will be introduced by Sharon Johnson, Catalent’s Senior Vice President of Quality, Product Development & Regulatory Affairs, who leads the company’s Quality, Product Development, Regulatory Affairs function, which is charged with accelerating new product introduction excellence and drives Catalent’s scientific and technology strategy, while sustaining the team’s strong quality and compliance focus.
During the meeting, Catalent scientists will also deliver a Research Highlight Talk on “Taste Masking Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients using a Novel Acoustic Mixing Process”, and a number of posters on various cutting edge technologies employed by the company within the controlled release and formulation research areas. These include:
- Formulating Oils in the Zydis® Freeze Dried Orally Disintegrating Tablet
- Softgel Capsules Low Batch Size Optimization on Industrial Equipment
- Optimization of Type I and II Lipid Based Drug Delivery System to limit inter-variability linked to the food effect, an in-vitro study
- Development of Pharmaceutical Abuse Deterrent Capsule Formulations
- OptiMelt Technology: Unique Approach To Development & Scale-up of Hot Melt Extruded Oral Dosage Form
- Determination of the Crystalline State of Ritonavir in Medium Chain Triglyceride Softgel Fill Formulations by X-ray Powder Diffraction
Catalent executives will also be available throughout the conference to discuss all aspects of the company’s innovative technology platforms for overcoming formulation and bioavailability challenges in the drug development and delivery process at Booth 400.
For more information on the Controlled Release Society, visit: http://www.controlledreleasesociety.org and to arrange a meeting with Catalent executives at the Annual Meeting, contact Richard Kerns at NEPR- richard@nepr.eu.
Notes for Editors
Dr. David Rabuka assumed the role of Catalent Pharma Solutions’ Global Head of R&D Chemical Biology in October 2014, following Catalent’s acquisition of Redwood Bioscience Inc., where he had previously acted as President and Chief Scientific Officer. He received a Ph.D. in Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley, as a Chevron Fellow in the lab of Professor Carolyn Bertozzi. His research included developing and applying Redwood’s platform technology to cell surface modifications. Prior to joining Professor Bertozzi’s lab, Dr. Rabuka worked at the Burnham Institute, synthesizing complex glycans, followed by Optimer Pharmaceuticals, where he was an early employee, focused on the development of glycan and macrolide based antibiotics. He graduated with a double honors B.S. in Chemistry and Biochemistry from the University of Saskatchewan where he received the Dean’s Science Award and holds an M.S. in Chemistry from the University of Alberta. Dr. Rabuka is an author of over 30 major publications, as well as numerous book chapters and patents.
Nidhi Mahajan, is the formulations Scientist for Bioavailability Enhancement & OptiMelt platform at Catalent Pharma Solutions, Somerset NJ, USA. She received a MS and a BS in Materials Science and Engineering degree at University of Central Florida and Punjab Technical University. As a formulations Scientist, she has been working in the industry over 10 years in the small molecule pharmaceuticals and leveraging her expertise in Materials Science and Engineering has made her a good fit in different departments of pharmaceutical industry. She has worked in preformulation, formulation and analytical departments, which gave her an in-depth understanding of each function. Prior to joining Catalent Pharma Solutions, Nidhi worked for Pfizer and Amgen, where she gained thorough knowledge about the life cycle management of drug molecules, from discovery through to commercialization. She has a strong publication record in the industry, with her work highlighted in high impact journals.
About Catalent
Catalent is the leading global provider of advanced delivery technologies and development solutions for drugs, biologics and consumer health products. With over 80 years serving the industry, Catalent has proven expertise in bringing more customer products to market faster, enhancing product performance and ensuring reliable clinical and commercial product supply. Catalent employs approximately 8,600 people, including over 1,000 scientists, at 30 facilities across 5 continents, and in fiscal 2014 generated more than $1.8 billion in annual revenue. Catalent is headquartered in Somerset, N.J. For more information, visit www.catalent.com