Nexxus Scotland

Encap

Encap is the world's foremost supplier of hard-shell liquid and semi-solid drug delivery capsules.

Having grown organically since it was formed in 1989, the company now employs 50 people at its headquarters in Livingston, supplying pharmaceutical, biotechnology and nutraceutical companies across the UK, Europe, the United States and the Far East.

Encap can manufacture in excess of 300 million capsules every year, and is one of the few global organisations specialising in hard-shell capsule production. It also advises clients on drug formulation to ensure maximum efficacy.

In September 2008, Encap revealed a £3 million, state-of-the-art expansion at its purpose-built facility in Livingston.

Encap helps drug companies achieve the most important objective of their products - delivering the active ingredient to the patient.

Traditional tablets and other oral drugs have limited application, with some unstable as powder or unable to be produced as tablets, for example because the key substance has a very low melting point.

Using a liquid delivery system can deliver drugs more quickly to where they are needed, improving the efficacy of the treatment.

Robbie Stewart, sales director at Encap, said: "Every drug is different, so every product we manufacture has to be developed on an entirely bespoke basis. We have the expertise to work alongside clients to take a new drug through clinical trials right up to the finished product, and can then go straight to manufacture. Encap has a strong position in a growing drug delivery market."

Evidence of Encap's market position can be seen in the use of its technology to fight the hospital superbug Clostridium difficile; more commonly known as C. diff.

The bacteria can multiply in the intestine when the normal, healthy intestinal bacteria have been killed off by antibiotics; C. diff. can cause severe diarrhoea, ulcers and bleeding from the colon. In its most virulent form, it can cause perforation of the intestine, leading to peritonitis and even death.

The drug Vancomycin is used in hospitals to combat this problem. The injectible form of the drug was previously available as a broad spectrum antibiotic, however an oral dose version is necessary in order to treat C. diff. Encap has worked alongside the manufacturer in order to redevelop the product into a capsule. The resultant product allowed the drug to be delivered straight to the stomach and intestine, where it is needed to treat the disease.

Controlling the delivery of the drug itself showcases another of Encap's industry-leading innovation in its patented DuoCap technology.

The system is a capsule within a capsule, and is deployed effectively in the area of nutraceuticals, in an over-the-counter capsule for travel sickness called Travelguard.

DuoCap is a two-piece capsule which allows incompatible ingredients to be delivered separately to two different parts of the gastro-intestinal tract. The outer capsule contains natural anti-microbial oils which are immediately released into the stomach, calming the upset. The inner capsule contains probiotics and is coated in a substance which protects it from stomach acid until the capsule reaches the small intestine. There the probiotics are released, encouraging the growth of protective bacteria.
 
Robbie said: "Each drug or treatment is like a new challenge for us. Although our end products may look similar, a lot of know-how and experience goes into getting the capsule formulation just right so it doesn't interact with the ingredients inside."

Encap's leading production facility has been a key factor in its ability to produce powerful cytotoxic cancer drugs, which kill cells indiscriminately and must not contaminate other products. But so impressive is Encap's clinical facility that it has been approved by the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to supply drugs to the US.

Robbie said: "Producing cytotoxic drugs for oncology is a different ball game - when you're dealing with such serious substances it's absolutely vital that there is no cross-contamination with other products being manufactured on-site.

 "The beauty of what we're doing is, that by producing liquid or semi-solid cytotoxic products, there is a lower risk of contamination than if we were dealing with powders. It means that, along with our other stringent processes, we can be absolutely certain than these potentially harmful drugs don't ever cross into the other products, nor will they pose a risk to our operators."

As a result of Encap's work, and its approval by the US FDA, its order books have become busier as demand for its specialist technology and expertise grows.

Now, as one of the main international suppliers of liquid-fill and semi-solid drug delivery capsules, this small-town supplier has become a global leader.