THE IMPLEMENTATION OF CONTINUOUS MANUFACTURING AT ASTRAZENECA: GREENER AND SMARTER WITH GREATER SPEED, AGILITY, AND ROBUSTNESS

November 28, 2024

At a time when efficiency, sustainability and safety are crucial, AstraZeneca, a major player in the pharmaceutical industry, looked to transform its manufacturing processes. They have adopted continuous production, a novel approach that guarantees to bring about not just small enhancements but to truly make a significant impact.

AstraZeneca approached Zeton with a request to install a new system at their existing site. The goal was to improve the speed to the patient by having a flexible system that could run continuously and adapt to changing needs. AstraZeneca wanted an innovative solution, which led Zeton to introduce a new concept, which was still under development at the time. This system uses a “backbone” approach that improves efficiency and flexibility by using shared supply lines and standard connections. This solution, now known as ContiUnity, was further developed with valuable input and collaboration from AstraZeneca, as well as other involved leading pharmaceutical companies. Together with these partners we continuously improve and expand our ContiUnity® portfolio.​

ContiUnity® is a comprehensive platform comprising three modular and extensible components, namely the Backbone, Bookcase, and Process modules. ContiUnity® provides you with the ability to design and configure GMP- and GAMP-compliant processes quickly and efficiently. The modules of ContiUnity® are designed as standard building blocks with a wide operating range, making them easily configurable to meet the unique process requirements of customers. ContiUnity®’s flexibility covers the entire process lifecycle without the need to redesign, validate, or decommission equipment, providing a value-based solution and minimizing time to market.

AstraZeneca faced a number of challenges but found a solution in the ContiUnity® system. It provided them with several benefits such as speed, sustainability (less energy consumption, waste and raw material use), quality (improved consistency), scalability, and safety (small volumes and near-instantaneous reactions made dangerous reactions more accessible). By processing smaller volumes and enabling faster reactions, they were able to operate more efficiently and safely.

The benefits were clear: faster heating and cooling, improved mixing, higher operating pressure, and more control over the process. This translated into a production line that was more compact, leading to a more sustainable factory for the future.

The project was completed to time and within budget and gave AstraZeneca the ability to test and expand various processes for clinical and commercial production.

Some interesting Project Facts:

  • From initial contact to delivery, the overall project was completed within 16 month
  • Plant Design and build within schedule ~12 months faster than greenfield
  • Facility capable of allowing flow chemistry steps to be developed, GMP clinical trial and launch scale capacity
  • ~20 kg/day active manufacture
  • Reconfiguration time to change from one process to another is in hours now, not months

In short, AstraZeneca’s move towards continuous manufacturing is an example of innovation and perseverance. It shows that the future of manufacturing is moving towards continuous, and that companies that embrace this change are paving the way for more sustainable and efficient delivery of medicines to patients.

“Through this project and our partnership with Zeton, we have provided an integrated continuous platform technology, which will allow a faster delivery of molecules to medicines to meet an ever greater patient need in a sustainable manner.” Roger Shillitoe, AstraZeneca