The purchaser, MDS Pharma Services, said it would use the Xcelodose 600 to help its customers start clinical trials of candidate drugs more quickly.
The Xcelodose system is a precision powder micro-doser and automated encapsulator with a fill range of 100 micrograms to greater than 100 milligrams. It allows the user to directly fill active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) into capsules - without excipients - at a rate of several hundred capsules per hour. It is particularly suited to producing formulations for use in clinical trials
The increased speed comes with other benefits, including reduced waste and improved accuracy (2 per cent standard deviation).
Derek Hennecke, vice president and general manager, pharmaceutics and biopharmaceuticals at MDS Pharma Services, said: "This means saving time and money - two very critical things in this industry."
Pfizer bought Meridica from PA Consulting Group, which set up the UK-based company in 2001, last November. In addition to its Xcelodose capsule-filling technology, Meridica also has a proprietary dry powder inhaler platform called Xcelovair and other inhaled and intranasal drug delivery systems.