Laurus Labs to use Novasep Varicol continuous chromatography system

Nov 14 2014

Novasep Varicol high-performance continuous chromatography technology brings productivity gains in an Indian-based API commercial production

Novasep, a leading supplier of manufacturing solutions to the life sciences industry, and its long-time partner Nilsan Nishotech Systems, a specialist in process engineering in India, today announce the commissioning of a continuous chromatography Varicol system at Laurus Labs, one of India’s fastest growing API (Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients) makers. This is the first time Laurus Labs will use a continuous chromatography system at multi-ton scale to obtain high productivity and cost-efficient chiral molecule separation.

Varicol continuous chromatography is the most powerful and cost-effective technology to separate enantiomers from racemic mixtures in use today. A key feature is the solvent recycling unit associated with the chromatography system enabling the process to exhibit very low solvent consumption (over 99.9% solvent recovery). By choosing Novasep’s Varicol, Laurus Labs achieves the separation of 500kg per day of its API at the highest quality grade with the most competitive position in the international market.

“The most important factor in our choice of the Varicol system is the environmentally friendly solvent recovery unit in continuous chromatography,” said Dr. Satyanarayana Chava, CEO of Laurus Labs. “Novasep provides value for money: good equipment with a good technology support. Engaging local representative Nilsan Nishotech Systems to help with the communication has been truly helpful in establishing a firm business relationship. We look forward to working with Novasep to optimize and continue designing new cost-effective production solutions.”

Prior to the installation, Novasep started by conducting a feasibility study at its R&D laboratory in Pompey, France, to evaluate the continuous process on a small-scale. It confirmed the Varicol technology was the right choice that could address Laurus Labs’ economic constraints. It also enabled Novasep’s experts to size the equipment: using in-house numerical simulation expert tools made the scale up straightforward and fully reliable.

At the final phase of the project, the Laurus Labs production team was trained at the Novasep FDA-inspected Pompey site equipped with commercial scale Varicol systems to make the team “ready to purify”.

“Indian companies are now looking for efficient technologies with local support,” said Nilesh Badani CEO of Nilsan Nishotech.

“India is an important area for Novasep’s growth,” said Michel Spagnol, CEO of Novasep. “This deal with Laurus Labs is the perfect example of what Novasep – Nilsan Nishotech can bring to the most demanding Indian players."