Halo Pharma adds roller compaction capacity at New Jersey site

Halo Pharma, a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), said it is expanding manufacturing capabilities at its Whippany, New Jersey, facility with the addition of a Gerteis Macro-Pactor roller compactor.

The roller compactor is expected to be online in the first quarter of 2026 and will expand the company’s dry-granulation capacity for solid oral dose products, according to the announcement. Halo Pharma stated that the system is designed to support continuity between early-phase development and late-stage commercial manufacturing by enabling direct scale-up from the site’s existing Gerteis Mini-Pactor, which is used for development, clinical, and small-scale commercial purposes.

The unit’s higher throughput and improved process control will support the manufacture of moisture-sensitive active pharmaceutical ingredients, high-drug-load formulations, poor-flowing powders, potent compounds, and modified-release products.

“One of the major advantages of adding the Macro-Pactor is that the process parameters established during early-phase development translates almost directly into larger batch sizes,” Satish Shetty, senior director of product development and technical services at Halo Pharma, said in a statement. He added that the system is designed to reduce scale-up risk and timelines by minimizing the need for reformulation.

The company also said the closed, dust-contained design of the equipment is intended to reduce operator exposure, limit product loss, and support regulatory-compliant handling of potent active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and controlled substances.