CPHI Award Granted to Evonik for Plant-based Adjuvant Used in Parenteral Drug Delivery

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Editor's note: this story was originally published on PharmTech.com.

Evonik announced on Oct. 9, 2024 that it won the 2024 CPHI Excellence in Pharma Award in the “Sustainability” category for its plant-based squalene, PhytoSquene, an adjuvant that can be used for parenteral drug delivery applications. The product is the first plant-based squalene on the market that complies with good manufacturing practices (GMP), according to a company press release, .

Vaccines such as the H1N1 influenza vaccine use squalene as an adjuvant. Adding it to vaccines stimulates the body’s immune response to the active ingredient. Pharmaceutical-grade squalene is currently sourced from shark liver oil, however, which runs the risk of depleting shark populations and negatively impacting marine biodiversity, Evonik stated in its press release. “In terms of quality, animal-derived squalene may be susceptible to batch-to-batch inconsistencies which can complicate regulatory processes. Some patients also cannot use animal-based products for cultural or religious reasons,” the company also stated in the release.

PhytoSquene belongs to Evonik’s Next Generation Solutions (NGS) portfolio, in which products are categorized by a distinct sustainability profile. Evonik’s Health Care business unit aims to transform more than 70% of its portfolio by revenue to NGS by 2030. This goal also includes commitments from the company’s life sciences division, Nutrition & Care, to reduce the need for animal-derived products while growing its biosolutions portfolio, according to the company.

“Sustainability drives us! This award confirms that we are pursuing the right goals: to offer our customers alternatives that enhance patient outcomes and protect our planet,” said Yann d'Hervé, head of the Health Care business line at Evonik, in the press release.

PhytoSquene is manufactured in Germany using a proprietary process. It comes from amaranth (Amaranthus caudatus) oil. Amaranth is an herbaceous plant cultivated in many parts of the world, making it a renewable feedstock. The manufacturing process produces consistent quality and is compliant with European Pharmacopoeia regulations. Evonik launched commercial-scale PhytoSquene in 2023.

In 2022, Evonik won a CPHI Pharma Award in the category “Packaging and Drug Delivery” for a polymer-based messenger RNA (mRNA) drug delivery system. The drug delivery system is also used for delivery of other nucleic acid-based therapeutics.

Evonik also announced that it is transforming its Health Care business to focus on strategic core growth areas. Under the restructuring, Evonik will evaluate strategic options, such as partnerships or divestment, to develop its keto and pharma amino acid production sites in Ham, France, and Wuming, China. The company also plans to discontinue its production of keto acids in Hanau, Germany by the end of 2025 (1).

Evonik’s Nutrition & Care, the Health Care business within the company’s life sciences division, is transforming into a system solutions provider and is growing in core areas of expertise, including complex and highly potent APIs, oral and injectable drug delivery, and precision biosolutions, such as lipids for mRNA and gene delivery, and cell culture ingredients. The company described system solutions as tailored offerings that integrate products, technologies, and services with sustainability benefits, according to an Oct. 11, 2024 company press release (1).

For the full list of the 2024 CPHI Excellence in Pharma Awards winners, read the related story.

Reference

1. Evonik. Evonik to Restructure Its Keto and Pharma Amino Acid Business. Press Release. Oct. 11, 2024.

Source: Evonik