LBT Innovations sells five pharma QC systems

Microbiology automation company LBT Innovations has sold five APAS Independence laboratory instruments to pharmaceutical manufacturer AstraZeneca AB and will provide maintenance and support services over seven years.

The total contract value is worth up to $4.1 million depending on the level of services required, and is in addition to the lease of a sixth instrument to the drug company that was used to validate the technology.

AstraZeneca previously paid the company more than $1 million to develop a new APAS analysis module.

APAS PharmaQC provides automated imaging, analysis and interpretation of microbiology culture plates used in environmental monitoring in pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities.

The cutting-edge technology utilises advanced imaging and sophisticated artificial intelligence algorithms to identify and count microbial growth on culture media, streamlining the quality assurance process.

LBT Innovations CEO & Managing Director Brent Barnes said: “This decision was made based on demonstrated performance of the technology within the AstraZeneca manufacturing processes and provides credibility for the technology more broadly.

“This milestone provides evidence and confidence that the APAS® Independence is a fully validated technology that meets the stringent requirements for environmental monitoring during drug manufacturing, applicable to all customers globally for this application.”

While LBT Innovations worked with AstraZeneca to develop the instrument, evaluations with additional multinational pharmaceutical customers are expected to begin in the current quarter.

The company’s strategy in the pharmaceutical market has been to target large multinational pharmaceutical companies which have the potential to acquire multiple instruments across their manufacturing network.

“Through this targeted approach, the company has created a strong pipeline of opportunities within this customer segment, including some of the largest global pharmaceutical companies.”

Further reading:
LBT Innovations PharmaQC device ‘commercially ready’

Picture: LBT Innovations