The Swiss multinational manufacturing firm Lonza (SWX:LONN) has bolstered its particle engineering services available at its site in Monteggio, Switzerland.

In particular, the new site will offer X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) services.

XRPD is a rapid analytical technique that offers insight into the polymorph and solid-state properties of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs).

Lonza employees at the Monteggio site will use various analytical techniques to study the solid state of crystalline materials.

“The implementation of XRPD provides additional analytical information, highlighting differences in the solid state of materials before and after micronization, and determining whether additional processing is needed,” said Salvatore Mercuri, associate director, new product introduction and MSAT, in a statement. “The XRPD improves our ability to detect solid state changes induced by the micronization process early in development and allows the problem to be properly addressed before the process is defined. This will ensure that our processes continue to obtain stable products suitable for further processing and formulation.”

The XRPD instrument became operational in Q2 2022.

The technique provides an alternative to micronization with jet milling, a common method to control the particle size of APIs.

While micronization can improve the processing, bioavailability and dissolution rates, it can also lead to amorphous generation or polymorphic changes. Such modifications can lead to diminished product quality and stability due to changes in physicochemical properties.

Lonza has also made recent investments in its international particle engineering network, including jet milling and spray dry processing capabilities in the U.S. and Europe.

In July, the company announced its plans to build a new $518 million fill-finish manufacturing facility in Stein, Switzerland. Lonza aims to finish the construction of that facility by 2026.

Also, earlier this year, the company decided to sell its particle size reduction facility in Quakertown, Pennsylvania.

In late 2021, Lonza announced plans to expand its drug product manufacturing services in Switzerland.

Lonza is headquartered in Basel, Switzerland.