Antares Vision, the world’s leading provider of serialization-based track and trace solutions for the pharmaceutical industry, has been awarded a highly selective european commission grant to develop new technology for the inspection of injectable lyophilized pharma products. The Lyo-Check Project will see development of a fully automated industrial machine for 100% inspection of lyophiles based on innovative vision architecture – a dedicated software and optical layout combined with ancillary technology – as well as Headspace Gas Analysis (HGSA) for testing product sterility via container integrity inspection.

With the goal of producing a disruptive inspection innovation for the pharma industry, the grant has been awarded within the EU Horizon 2020’s Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) instrument framework. The SME instrument is part of the largest EU Research and Innovation Program ever, which aims to promote breakthroughs, discoveries and world-firsts by funding promising ideas from concept to lab to market.

The process is quite selective: Of the more than 20,000 applications in the Research and Innovation Program’s first two years, less than 6% were chosen to receive funds.

“This is uplifting recognition of the complex systems our Inspection Machines Division has launched in the last few years,” said Antares’ Davide Sacchetti, Business Development Manager, Machines Division for Antares Vision. “Over this time period, several multinationals manufacturing high volume parenteral products have chosen Antares solutions for combined vision inspection and leak detection due to our innovative vision architecture, which makes it possible to inspect through the types of matt plastic typical in the blow-fill-seal process.”

As it works to design an upgraded version of the Lyo-Check Inspection Machine, Antares Vision will apply the core research principles and criteria it uses for development of all its inspection machines, including perfect mechanical handling; dedicated optical layout (product-related); and improved algorithms for consistent software judgment.

“Although Antares Vision is widely known for being the world leader in serialization solutions for the pharma industry,” said Adriano Fusco, Strategy and Development Direct for Antares Vision, “this EU Horizon 2020 SME Grant directly acknowledges the impressive talents of our research and development team in the visual inspection niche.”