The dynamics of the global pharmaceutical industry has changed significantly with many of the key players streamlining their business to focus on their core strength of drug development. This has led to an increase in the decision by many companies to strategically outsource supplementary areas of their business such as packaging, clinical trials and manufacturing to a number of emerging specialists such as Brecon Pharmaceuticals.

Brecon Pharmaceuticals Ltd, which is a subsidiary of AmerisourceBergen Corporation, is a leading outsource services provider to the global pharmaceutical industry. With almost 30 years’ experience, Brecon is the chosen partner and supplier to major pharmaceutical and healthcare companies world-wide, providing the highest quality commercial packaging, storage, distribution and clinical trial services including:

• Commercially: blister packaging, Thermo-form, Aclar, Alu/Alu (cold-form), strip packaging, sachet filling, heat seal walleting, bottle filling and tablet counting.
• Analytical Services: Stability testing, studies to full ICH standard, method validation, further development and updating of methods, extra validation to GMP standards as required, plus extensive report writing service covering protocol generation, certificates of analysis, method transfer, validation, ICH stability reports.
• Clinical Trial Supplies: phase I-IV open/blinded, multi-centre, multi-country studies, label design and compilation, cold-chain storage and distribution, returns and evaluation including reconciliation.
• Specialist Handling: Cytotoxics, Controlled drugs (Vault), High potency (Separate unit), Penicillin (Separate unit) Biologicals (Separate unit), Low humidity, Cold-chain Cold storage 2°C to 8°C and down to -70 °C

Highest Standards
Brecon was one of the first companies in its field to be given compliance approval by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for the packaging, storage and distribution of investigational medicinal products.

The company was also one of the first outsource suppliers to receive accreditation to the revised ISO 9000 Quality Management Standard, ISO 9001:2000 which replaces all previous standards in the ISO 9000 family.

Brecon has become the first approved training centre in the UK for a Certificate of Assured Competence in Packaging Operation, which recognises the continuous high levels of competence of its employees.

Chosen Supplier
Brecon never compromises on its standards of quality and service and consequently is the chosen partner and approved supplier to major pharmaceutical and healthcare companies worldwide.

• AstraZeneca - After an extensive and comprehensive review, major pharmaceutical manufacturer AstraZeneca has selected Brecon Pharmaceuticals as a key provider of outsourced packaging services.
• Eli Lilly and Company - Brecon Pharmaceuticals was the only UK company to have won a 2006 Global Supplier Award from Eli Lilly and Company. The Lilly Global Supplier Awards are granted annually in recognition of those suppliers who have demonstrated superior performance and who have assisted the company in sustaining its competitive advantage.

New Production Facility Enhances Capability
Brecon’s major new development is now complete, doubling the size of the company’s existing facilities in Hay-on-Wye.

The new state-of-the-art development provides an additional 45,000 sq ft of production and warehouse space.

Within the new facility, Brecon has commissioned a tenth Romaco blister packer. The platen-sealing Noack 623 has been installed as part of a complete line also incorporating a Romaco Promatic PC 4200 – the first UK installation for this internationally-acclaimed cartonner.

A second PC 4200, also for inline connection to a Noack 623, has been delivered and will likewise be integrated with a Noack 623. Both lines feature checkweighers from OCS, represented in the UK and Irish healthcare markets by Romaco UK.

Brecon has increased its bottling capabilities further with the introduction of a new Swiftpack SV2-12-EFS to complement its existing bottling lines. The new SV2, which handles up to 55 bottles per minute for a wide range of bottle and cap designs including both screw on and push on. The system has been integrated into Brecon’s automatic line to provide capper, checkweigher, labeller, cartonner and bandwrapper capabilities. Both the cartonner and labeller systems are fitted with pharmacode and other component verification systems.

Hapa Expansion
To introduce increased flexibility and efficiency into its production lines, Brecon has purchased two additional Hapa 226 I, UVFlex printers.

The two new advanced lines provide on or off-line printing and work in combination with the latest Hapa 532 laser engraving technology which enables the rapid production of print mats in-house, via digital technology. The new system enables Brecon to produce batch specific print mats for customers in just 4–6 hours, as opposed to the traditional method which could have taken several days.

The new system introduces considerable savings on materials and increased flexibility to meet customer demands more efficiently. Commenting, Brecon’s Operations Director Andrew Billington said, “The two new Hapas have increased efficiency and streamlined our processes significantly. We now have the capability to produce print mats same day which provides a faster response and greater flexibility for our customers.“

* Award winning
Brecon has scooped the ‘Supply Chain Management’ Award in The European Outsourcing Awards 2007.

Steve Kemp accepted the award on behalf of Brecon’s team at a gala awards dinner, held at Le Meridien Gallia Hotel in Milan on 3 October.