Upperton upgrades weighing system at UK facility to boost precision powder filling

U.K.-based Upperton Pharma Solutions, a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), has installed and commissioned the Fill2Weight gravimetric powder filling machine from 3P innovation at its 60,000-square-foot GMP facility in Nottingham, the company said.

The new system increases Upperton’s precision in capsule and device filling using gravimetric dosing, enabling consistent weight verification for each capsule. It is designed for handling low-dose and high-potency active pharmaceutical ingredients, as well as challenging powder formulations, according to the announcement.

“This addition marks a significant advancement in our GMP manufacturing capabilities, increasing our capacity to manufacture small-molecule and high-potency medicines for clinical trials,” Ian Lafferty, chief technical officer at Upperton, said in a statement.

Upperton provides formulation development and clinical trial manufacturing across oral solids, nasal, pulmonary, and parenteral dosage forms.

In January, the company completed construction of a new $8.9 million sterile manufacturing facility in Nottingham. The 7,000-square-foot site expanded the CDMO’s capabilities, supporting the production of aseptic and terminally sterilized small-volume liquids and powders for parenteral, nasal, and pulmonary delivery.

The new site is equipped to handle formulation development, clinical manufacturing, and analytical testing, with batch sizes of up to 2,000 vials, pre-filled syringes, and pre-filled cartridges for liquid formulations and pre-sterilized powders. The facility was designed to align with the updated EU GMP Annex-1 regulations and is an addition to Upperton’s existing 50,000-square-foot Trent Gateway facility.