Did you miss the hustle and bustle of INTERPHEX 2025? Didn’t catch the innovative solutions unveiled by AST? Don’t fret; we have you covered with a recap!
The Javits Center, NYC, was once again the place to be, and though INTERPHEX 2025 opened on April 1st, attendees weren’t fooling around about the latest in pharmaceutical manufacturing. AST was once again excited to bring our latest drug manufacturing solutions, including debuting a new integrated, fully automatic filling line and two new product offerings.
The Key to a Great INTERPHEX? Quality Products Supported by a Dedicated Team
Our goal every year for INTERPHEX is to put on our best for prospective partners and customers, and that’s no small task. At AST, we believe that quality is the best ice breaker, so rather than bring digital representations of our solutions or renders of a new product, we want to give participants the chance to experience them in person, to interact and examine the various solutions and have the opportunity to ask questions. Whether you’re a partner, prospective customer, or student learning about the industry, our booth is designed to be an in-depth resource for not only understanding AST’s products, but also the role of automation and advanced technologies in the wider pharmaceutical manufacturing industry.
But how do you get an isolated filling line to a show? How much preparation does it take? And what about logistics?
Putting together a tradeshow booth and getting a large, complex system to the Javits Center show floor is a significant undertaking that requires great teamwork and a crucial amount of coordination. The AST team starts months in advance of the big week by working cross-departmentally, planning and meeting key milestones. It takes the combined, coordinated efforts of project managers, mechanical and controls engineers, and operations, assembly, and events teams to successfully prepare the machine, design the booth, ship, and assemble the completed exhibit. The sum of these efforts reflected in the final product enables AST to provide a valuable booth experience and demonstrate the latest drug manufacturing solutions. The opportunity to connect with friends across the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry at INTERPHEX is a highlight of our year, and it wouldn’t be possible without the hard work from the dedicated team here at AST.
Next-Generation Fill-Finish Technology on Display
AST was thrilled to feature a key customer partnership at INTERPHEX as we brought the isolated GENiSYS® C line we’ll be installing with Ascend Advanced Therapies. Ascend is a specialist AAV (adeno-associated virus) developer that is placing the fill line in their state-of-the-art facility in Alachua, Florida. The isolated GENiSYS C is a compact solution that leverages standardized, tested technologies configurable to product specifications and utilizes breakthrough integrated features, including a decontamination solution that completes a full cycle in under 60 minutes.
INTERPHEX attendees had the opportunity to see the complete isolated system up close, featuring a fully automatic modular configuration (automatic bag and tub opening modules, a fill-close module, and a vial sealing module) specifically designed for minimal human intervention, high-yield processing, and Annex 1 compliance.
Product Debut: Shield™ GIT and AST’s digital twin solution
With a continued commitment to integrated, turnkey solutions, AST unveiled two exciting new additions to their product line at INTERPHEX 2025: an advanced digital twin solution for fill-finish and the Shield™ glove integrity testing system.
AST’s digital twin solution – Digital twin is an advanced digital solution that is being popularized throughout the broader manufacturing industry, including a wide spectrum of uses in pharmaceutical production. Digital twin is a dynamic virtual model that synthesizes real-time data, physical operations, and virtual environments in an exact digital replica of a machine, system, or complete manufacturing operation.
AST offered an exclusive preview of our digital twin solution, with an exact virtual replica of the GENiSYS C FCM. The demo featured three specific use cases:
Mirroring or “mimic” mode – running alongside the FCM in real time
Recipe verification – allowing the user to load recipes to check compatibility and to identify any potential processing faults or errors
Production simulation – executing a range of production simulations using various recipes and runtime settings, with key output metrics relayed to the user
Shield GIT
AST also debuted our new glove testing system, Shield GIT. AST’s wireless glove testing system is a fully integrated solution that leverages recipe-driven operation, RFID technology, and advanced standalone software. An innovative solution designed for speed and ease of use, AST demoed a single tester at the show and covered the latest in regulatory requirements and best practices for glove testing.
The complete solution includes a docking cart, chargers, smart-tag technology, four testers, and the standalone software Shield™ OS. Other features include:
- Turnkey, integrated technology designed in concert with the AST Atmos isolator
- 4k high definition, touchscreen display
- Fully integrates glove testing system data with batch reports, accessible through ASTView
Thought Leadership: VP of Technical Sales Josh Russell Presents on a Holistic Approach to Fill-Finish
What does a holistic, flexible approach to aseptic fill-finish manufacturing that includes production, equipment, and supply chain considerations look like? What’s the best approach for meeting the demand of a rapidly evolving marketplace filled with new pharmaceutical products and maturing regulatory standards? These are the questions VP of Technical Sales Josh Russell tackled on Day 2, featured in INTERPHEX’s Learning Lab. Josh spotlighted real-time solutions through robotics and automation, which have been shown to be an optimal modality for fill-finish processing within a traceable, cGMP manufacturing environment. Josh covered some of the latest in time-to-market advancements and highlighted the importance of 100% integrated, turnkey solutions.
Awards and Celebration: AST Celebrates 60 Years and is Recognized for Excellence
The week at INTERPHEX was particularly special for the AST family as the month of April marks our 60th anniversary as a company. We marked the special occasion with an anniversary celebration Sunday night and highlighted #60YearsofInnovation throughout the week of INTERPHEX.
AST was excited to be presented with an INTERPHEX exhibit award for the second consecutive year. INTERPHEX staff and associated partners, including the American Pharmaceutical Review and Pharmaceutical Outsourcing, awarded AST the 2025 Efficiency Championship for our digital twin solution. The award recognizes products or services that streamline drug development and offer significant time-saving advancements. AST’s digital twin was selected for meeting the “need for integrated efficiencies in processes and supporting the fast pacing of the pharma/bio industry—whether in research, development, or commercial-scale production.”
