FRESH PERPSECTIVES
Leveraging the Benefits of Raman Spectroscopy
Bree Allen
Vice President & General Manager Rigaku Raman Technologies
In the manufacturing of today’s pharmaceuticals, the introduction of Raman spectroscopy has created a paradigm shift in how quality inspection is performed. Once considered a new and unproven technology, Raman instruments have since evolved into the handheld, battery operated analyzers now in use around the globe, in high-volume, for a variety of material analysis applications. As word spreads about the efficiency gains achieved with the use of handheld and portable Raman, pharmaceutical companies are no longer wondering ‘if’ they should implement Raman instrumentation, but instead are determining which Raman instrument is best-suited for their unique production environment.
The Uses and Applications of Raman
With its high degree of specificity and selectivity, Raman is suited for a number of applications throughout the manufacturing process. Now available in a range of form factors, the addition of handheld and portable Raman has uncovered even more benefits as companies learn to unlock the power that Raman can bring to their businesses. Some popular application areas we see today include:
• Quality assurance/Quality control – Raman spectroscopy provides manufacturers with the ability to perform non-destructive material verification directly through sealed packaging at the point of receipt, or at any point in the manufacturing process, enabling streamlined quality inspection and increased throughput.
• R&D – Raman devices are being used more and more in R&D to discover new chemistry, monitor chemical reactions and speed up the drug discovery process.
• Product release – Product release is an important stage of the manufacturing process. Portable Raman analysis can be deployed throughout the manufacturing process to ensure product quality at each step and the specificity of Raman analysis makes it an excellent choice as a product release tool.
• Product inspection – Field product inspection must be fast, reliable and easy-to-use. Portable Raman instruments fulfill all of these requirements to help ensure product safety and quality assurance.
• Formulation – Testing new formulations is critical to product development. Raman’s chemical specificity allows manufactures to investigate small differences during the chemical formulation stage, which helps develop or improve products.
Bree Allen is the Vice President and General Manager at Rigaku Raman Technologies, a division of Rigaku Corporation pioneering the development of leading-edge optical analyzers.
• Packaging identification – As drug counterfeiting is a growing worldwide concern, many pharmaceutical companies have developed product-specific packaging to support product quality and brand security. Raman is an easy-to-use, field-deployable tool that can quickly determine if a particular package is counterfeit by identifying the unique packaging materials including inks and plastics.
• Process monitoring – The use of Raman for real-time process monitoring is an ideal choice to better understand chemical reactions and ensure product quality throughout the manufacturing process.
58 American Pharmaceutical Review | Fresh Perspectives 2013
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