Large pharmaceutical spray dryer lowered into oral solid dosage project

On a crisp, cold winter Sunday in Boston, a large pharmaceutical spray dryer was successfully lowered into place for the Acorda Therapeutics Inc. project in Chelsea, Massachusetts.

Several CRB project team members and senior Acorda management watched as the two large main components, the drying chamber and bag house, were carefully rigged and positioned into the newly constructed spray dryer tower. The openings in the 62-foot structure were coordinated perfectly, and the load-bearing rings aligned exactly as CRB designed.

This project includes 40,000 square feet of manufacturing expansion, 25,000 square feet of utility mezzanine and 5,000 square feet for plant utilities. This facility will manufacture Inbrija™ (levodopa powder), an oral solid dosage spray-dried/capsule-filled product, administered through a unique inhalation device. It is the first Food and Drug Administration approved inhaled levodopa for the intermittent treatment of “off” episodes in people with Parkinson’s disease. An “off” episode is when the patient becomes stiff, slow, unable to move and has difficulty speaking. According to the Parkinson’s Foundation, more than 10 million people are living with Parkinson’s disease, and nearly 60,000 Americans are diagnosed each year.

CRB completed the full process and facility design for this project.

CRB is proud to partner with Acorda Therapeutics and support its mission to develop therapies that restore function and improve the lives of people with neurological disorders.