PRODUZIONE INDUSTRIALE DEI MEDICINALI

Academic Year 2026/2027 - Teacher: MARIA GRAZIA SARPIETRO

Expected Learning Outcomes

Knowledge and understanding:

Understand the principles of industrial pharmaceutical manufacturing, key unit operations, GMP, support facilities and services, as well as quality control and production process scale-up.

 

Ability to apply knowledge and understanding:

Apply the principles of industrial pharmaceutical technology to the production and control of key pharmaceutical forms, identifying appropriate operations, equipment, and process conditions.

 

Making judgments:

Critically evaluate production processes and issues in relation to quality, safety, efficacy, and GMP compliance.

 

Problem-solving skills:

Analyze technological and production issues and identify appropriate solutions at various stages of the pharmaceutical process, including development and scale-up.

 

Learning skills:

Integrate technological and production knowledge and develop the ability to independently stay abreast of innovations in the pharmaceutical industry

Course Structure

lectures (powerpoint presentation)

Required Prerequisites

There are no background knowledge required

Detailed Course Content

Overview of the pharmaceutical industry, the industrial production of medicines and related problems.

The Italian pharmaceutical industry.

Overview of market research and the fundamental economic problems of a pharmaceutical industry.

Organization, structure and organization of production units of different potential.

Good manufacturing practices.

Work premises, safety regulations.

Organization of the general services of a pharmaceutical industry.

Water: supply, treatment, use of water in the pharmaceutical industry.

Steam: thermal power stations, basic principles of the appliances.

Cold production: refrigeration systems.

Vacuum, compressed air, dust suppression systems.

Unit operations: industrial theory and application of grinding, sieving, mixing, drying, lyophilization, filtration, centrifugation, sterilization.

Production technology and quality control of pharmaceutical forms.

Liquid pharmaceutical forms: injectable preparations.

Solid pharmaceutical forms: tablets, capsules.

Packaging materials: glass for pharmaceutical use, closures in elastomer material, plastics for pharmaceutical use

Pilot studies for the development of large-scale processes, development and "scale up" of the drug.

Textbook Information

  1. L. Fabris, A. Rigamonti, La fabbricazione industriale dei medicinali, Società Editrice Esculapio
  2. Notes in PDF format

Course Planning

 SubjectsText References
1Cenni generali sull’industria farmaceutica, la produzione industriale dei farmaci ed i problemi connessi. L’industria farmaceutica italiana.Cenni sulla ricerca di mercato e sui problemi economici fondamentali di un’industria farmaceutica. 2
2Organizzazione, struttura ed articolazione d’unità produttive di diversa potenzialità.2
3Norme di buona fabbricazione.2
4Locali di lavoro, norme di sicurezza.1 (capitolo 5), 2
5Organizzazione dei servizi generali di un’industria farmaceutica.2
6Acqua: approvvigionamento, trattamenti, impiego 1 (capitoli 3 e 7), 2
7Vapore: centrali termiche, principi di base degli apparecchi1 (capitolo 3), 2
8Produzione del freddo: impianti frigoriferi.2
9Vuoto, aria compressa, sistemi d’abbattimento delle polveri.1 (capitolo 3), 2
10Operazioni unitarie: teoria ed applicazione a livello industriale di macinazione, setacciatura, miscelazione, essiccamento, liofilizzazione, filtrazione, centrifugazione, sterilizzazione (argomenti trattati dal Prof. F. Castelli)1 (capitoli 11, 12 e 13), 2
11Forme farmaceutiche liquide1 (capitoli 9 e 10), 2
12Forme farmaceutiche solide: compresse, capsule.1 (capitolo 14), 2
13Materiali di confezionamento: il vetro per uso farmaceutico, le chiusure in materiale elastomero, le plastiche per uso farmaceutico1 (capitolo 6)
14Studi pilota per la messa a punto di processi su larga scala, sviluppo e “scale up” del farmaco2