The pharmaceutical industry requires precision, compliance, and fully controlled containment.
Hosokawa Micron Ltd.’s containment solutions give businesses access to industry-leading equipment that protects operators, reduces cross-contamination, and minimises risk.
From initial consultation through to installation, our experienced team works closely with you to understand your requirements and develop made-to-measure containment equipment.
Want to discover more? Our buyer’s checklist for specifying pharmaceutical containment provides insight into our made-to-measure equipment.
This guide explores the importance of custom pharmaceutical containment technologies and solutions, including our checklist for specifying a containment system.
We work with your operators from the earliest stages to gain a comprehensive understanding of your specific requirements.
By understanding your operators’ needs, we can begin developing custom containment systems that comply with strict regulatory compliance, Occupational Exposure Limits (OELs), and more.
Our ergonomic design assessment is built into every containment project we take on, not offered as an optional extra.
Before a single dimension is finalised, we assess the people who will be operating the equipment daily, ensuring the finished solution reduces strain, supports confident operation, and holds up across the full working life of the plant.
For pharmaceutical manufacturers working under strict GMP requirements and occupational exposure limits, this level of consideration isn’t just about operator comfort — it directly supports compliance, reduces training time, and minimises the risk of errors on the floor.
Our pharmaceutical containment solutions are designed to work as part of a broader processing solution. Where a project calls for it, our containment systems can integrate seamlessly with advanced size reduction technologies from across the wider Hosokawa Group, providing pharmaceutical manufacturers access to a joined-up, end-to-end processing capability from a single trusted partner.
Whether you require integration with upstream systems or downstream discharge, our solutions maintain material integrity, operator safety, and strict cGMP compliance throughout every stage of your operation.
Our expertise is focused on a wide range of applications within the pharmaceutical industry:
Offloading / Discharging
Charging
Formulation / Dispensing
Sterility Test
Cell & Gene Therapy Isolator
Radiopharma
Offloading and discharging operations are critical stages in pharmaceutical manufacturing, where both containment and cleanliness must be maintained to protect operators and preserve product integrity. Hosokawa Micron’s advanced Offloading Isolator is purpose-built for the safe, dust-free transfer of finished or intermediate materials into final packaging or bulk containers.
Designed for environments where GMP compliance, hygiene, and high-containment are essential, the isolator supports manual, semi-automatic, or fully automated workflows. With containment levels up to OEB 5 and higher, it ensures secure offloading of powders and granules while maintaining air purity through HEPA filtration. Ergonomically placed glove ports, integrated weighing options, and compatibility with split butterfly valves, continuous liners, or liner clamping systems all contribute to a streamlined, operator-safe process.
The offloading isolator is fully cleanroom compliant and can be fitted with CIP/SIP systems, supporting contamination control and efficient changeovers. It also integrates easily with de-lumping equipment and downstream packaging lines—making it a flexible solution for batch or continuous production environments.
Whether discharging active pharmaceutical ingredients or formulation blends, Hosokawa Micron’s Offloading Isolator delivers robust protection for people, products, and process integrity.
Efficient and contained charging of materials is a vital step in pharmaceutical production, particularly when handling potent compounds or sensitive formulations. At Hosokawa Micron, we offer highly engineered solutions that support safe, accurate, and GMP-compliant material transfer into reactors, mixers, mills, or downstream isolators.
Our Process Containment Isolators are designed to create a controlled environment where APIs or intermediates can be introduced into the process with maximum operator and product protection. These isolators provide ergonomic access, safe gloveport operation, and a cleanable stainless steel design, all while achieving containment levels of OEB 5 or higher.
For larger volume handling or flexible production requirements, our Filling & Weighing Systems offer scalable, contained solutions for accurately dosing powders into reactors, mixers, or isolators. Designed for precision and safety, these systems ensure GMP-compliant transfer and batch control, reducing the risk of cross-contamination and exposure.
Whether you’re working with hazardous powders or require aseptic charging environments, our solutions are developed to reduce risk, maintain cleanliness, and streamline your workflow. Each system can be fully customised to suit process requirements, from mobile isolators for flexibility to fully automated charging for high-volume production.
At Hosokawa Micron, we understand the pressures of pharmaceutical manufacturing and the importance of precise, repeatable charging operations. Our solutions are designed to ensure compliance, protect your operators, and safeguard your product at every step.
Accurate formulation and dispensing are at the heart of pharmaceutical manufacturing, ensuring product consistency, regulatory compliance, and patient safety. Hosokawa Micron offers advanced containment solutions that enable safe and precise weighing, blending, and subdividing of raw materials—particularly when working with potent APIs or multi-component formulations.
Our Formulation Dispensing Isolators provide a fully enclosed environment for weighing and dispensing operations. Designed for high containment performance of OEB 5 and higher,, these isolators ensure that powders and active ingredients are handled safely while maintaining process accuracy and efficiency. Integrated weighing systems, gloveports, and airflow management deliver ergonomic operation with minimum risk of cross-contamination or exposure.
These systems are ideal for batch processing environments where flexibility, cleanliness, and documentation are critical. Whether used for primary formulation steps or final dispensing into smaller containers, our isolators support cGMP standards, are easily cleanable, and can be configured with pre-chambers, Rapid Transfer Ports (RTPs), or nitrogen purging for handling sensitive or hygroscopic materials.
Every Hosokawa solution is tailored to your formulation requirements—whether you’re developing new drugs or scaling up commercial production. Our expert engineering ensures seamless integration into your facility, with a focus on operator protection, repeatable accuracy, and reduced validation time.
Hosokawa Micron’s formulation and dispensing technologies help pharmaceutical manufacturers maintain total control over complex processes—safely and consistently.
Sterility testing is a critical control point in pharmaceutical manufacturing, where the highest standards of aseptic integrity and contamination control must be met. Hosokawa Micron supports this vital function with isolator technologies designed to maintain a sterile, secure environment throughout testing procedures.
Our Sterile Isolators are engineered specifically for pharmaceutical quality control and microbiological testing environments. These systems provide a Grade A (ISO 5) environment under positive pressure, ensuring total isolation from external contaminants while allowing controlled manipulation of samples and equipment inside the chamber. They are ideally suited for sterility testing of injectable drugs, biologics, and other parenteral products.
With features such as Rapid Transfer Ports (RTPs), cleanroom-compatible materials, and HEPA-filtered unidirectional airflow, our isolators support compliance with GMP Annex 1 and FDA aseptic processing guidance. All contact surfaces are smooth, cleanable, and constructed from pharmaceutical-grade stainless steel to allow for straightforward decontamination via integrated hydrogen peroxide (VHP) bio-decontamination systems.
Operators can conduct sensitive tests safely and efficiently, with excellent visibility and ergonomics. The isolators can also be configured for use with automated or manual sterility testing devices, ensuring flexibility across lab workflows.#
With Hosokawa Micron’s sterility testing solutions, pharmaceutical manufacturers gain a reliable, compliant, and fully contained environment to protect product integrity and minimise the risk of false positives or environmental interference during critical testing stages.
Cell and gene therapies demand ultra-clean, flexible environments to protect both product and personnel during highly sensitive manufacturing processes. At Hosokawa Micron, we understand the unique challenges of handling live cells, viral vectors, and gene-modifying agents—where sterility, containment, and process control are paramount.
Our Cell & Gene Therapy Isolators are designed to support aseptic operations while maintaining strict containment boundaries, ensuring compliance with advanced therapy medicinal product (ATMP) regulations and GMP Annex 1. These isolators provide Grade A environments suitable for sterile compounding, media preparation, and closed-system processing. Positive or negative pressure regimes can be configured depending on biosafety or product protection requirements.
The isolators feature unidirectional airflow with HEPA filtration, gloveport access, integrated monitoring, and optional hydrogen peroxide (VHP) decontamination. They’re also compatible with single-use technologies, making them ideal for small-batch and personalised medicine production, where minimising cleaning validation and cross-contamination is essential.
Whether you’re scaling up clinical batches or working in pre-commercial development, Hosokawa Micron’s isolators provide a robust, flexible solution to manage the complexity of ATMP workflows. Our systems are engineered with modularity and cleanroom integration in mind, supporting seamless incorporation into cell culture, formulation, or fill-finish environments.
For innovators in regenerative medicine, our containment technologies offer a proven platform for safety, sterility, and success in next-generation pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Handling radioactive pharmaceutical compounds requires the highest standards of containment, shielding, and precision. At Hosokawa Micron, we provide advanced containment solutions that enable safe and compliant processing of radiopharmaceuticals—protecting operators from exposure while maintaining product integrity throughout critical manufacturing stages.
Our Process Containment Isolators are custom-engineered to meet the stringent requirements of radiopharma environments. These isolators combine high-level operator protection with integrated shielding and robust negative pressure control, making them ideal for processes involving short half-life isotopes, compounding, dispensing, or final product preparation.
Built to accommodate lead glass, shielded transfer systems, and radiological safety features, our isolators support operations within PET and SPECT facilities, nuclear medicine labs, and sterile manufacturing environments. Seamless integration with cleanroom infrastructure and radiation monitoring systems ensures compliance with GMP, radiological safety, and pharmacy-grade standards.
Whether you’re preparing small-batch diagnostic agents or therapeutic isotopes, our isolators enable controlled, contained, and traceable handling. Additional features like rapid decontamination, glove port ergonomics, and shielded waste management enhance workflow efficiency while minimising radiation exposure.
Hosokawa Micron’s radiopharma containment systems are tailored to your process needs, supporting sterile and non-sterile environments and ensuring your operators, products, and patients are protected from start to finish.
Read more about how our pharmaceutical containment solutions have supported a range of companies and plants.
When Grade A compliance met a constrained installation footprint, Hosokawa Micron engineered a bespoke Vertical Laminar Air Flow solution — one that’s since become the customer’s standard design across multiple sites.
When strict containment and operator safety couldn’t be compromised, Hosokawa engineered a bespoke Downflow Booth that transformed a complex pharmaceutical challenge into a future-ready manufacturing solution.
When strict containment and operator safety couldn’t be compromised, Hosokawa engineered a bespoke Drum Tip Dispensing Isolator that transformed a complex pharmaceutical challenge into a future-ready manufacturing solution.
Our experienced team is on hand to help you find the right pharmaceutical containment solution for your operation.