The School of Pharmacy has launched a cutting-edge simulation facility on the Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University (NWU). 

The simulation laboratory for the production of solid oral dosage forms (SODFs), or tablets, was officially launched on 1 August. It will enhance and enrich the education experience of Pharmacy students by giving them hands-on exposure to general pharmaceutical manufacturing processes.  

School director Prof Jan Steenekamp says work on the new facility started in November 2022. A multi-disciplinary team of NWU staff and external specialists collaborated on the designs for it, including air-handling specialists and engineers, health and safety officials, a construction team led by construction engineers, current good manufacturing practices (cGMPs) experts, multimedia specialists and academic staff.  

The construction followed in November 2023 and was completed earlier this year.  

Facility boosts hands-on training  

“The hands-on training approach offered through this facility forms part of the Pharmaceutics modules and bridges the gap between theoretical knowledge and its practical application in the pharmaceutical manufacturing sector,” says Prof Steenekamp. 

The facility has a sleek, modern design, with added safety and lean process flow features, accentuating the alignment with current cGMPs. It is designed to accommodate 50 students simultaneously, including students with physical disabilities, without compromising safety measures.  

The facility is also equipped with various pre-formulation production and quality control (QC) testing equipment. The School of Pharmacy at the NWU is currently the only Pharmacy school to have a Natoli research and development (R & D) rotary tablet press equipped with research and development software. This software allows real-time in-process data acquisition of the tableting process.     

“This multi-million rand financial investment of the NWU bears testament to the university’s continued commitment to deliver quality-assured education for Pharmacy students,” Prof Steenekamp concludes.  

Celebrating the opening of the facility are, from the left, Prof Marius Brits, Prof Jan Steenekamp, Prof Sandra van Dyk, Dr (honoris causa) Jannie Oosthuizen and Prof Joe Viljoen. 

Cutting-edge equipment will enable students to experience general pharmaceutical manufacturing processes.Prof Jan Steenekamp explains how the equipment will benefit Pharmacy students. 

The simulation laboratory for the production of solid oral dosage forms (SODFs) was officially launched on 1 August 2024 by internationally renowned pharmaceutical business leader and NWU alumnus Dr (honoris causa) Jannie Oosthuizen. Jannie received an honorary doctorate from the NWU on 2 August 2024. From the left are Prof Jan Steenekamp, director of the School of Pharmacy, Prof Sandra van Dyk and Dr Jannie Oosthuizen.