Many exciting things happened in 2023 for Roquette Pharma Solutions. Let’s dive deeper into what went on in 2023.
We kicked off the year with the grand opening of our brand-new Pharmaceutical Innovation Center, near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. On April 19, we had the inauguration of the innovation center which had more than 50 special guests join us, and they were able to witness the ribbon cutting and speeches from members of our executive board, including Paul Smaltz, Vice President of Pharmaceutical Solutions, Pierre Courduroux, CEO of Roquette, and our chairman of the board, Edouard Roquette. The guests were taken on guided tours and got to spend time speaking to leaders and members of our pharma team.
May 9 at Vitafoods Europe, we launched our brand-new excipient PEARLITOL® ProTec co-processed mannitol-starch. PEARLITOL® ProTec is a unique, plant-based co-processed blend of mannitol and maize starch, and it protects and stabilizes moisture sensitive active ingredients like probiotics. Roquette developed this excipient to address stability issues, as this product offers stabilization and organoleptic properties with a measured Aw value of <0.2, which helps to preserve the integrity of moisture sensitive actives through the manufacturing process.
The month of May included another important milestone for Roquette Pharma Solutions.
In May 23, we announced a strategic investment with Beren Therapeutics P.B.C, and the launch of an innovation agreement to expand the full potential of Beren’s cyclodextrin technologies and their medicinal applications.
At CPHI Barcelona in October 2023, we announced the completion of our acquisition of Qualicaps. Qualicaps is a manufacturer of hard capsules and pharmaceutical related equipment and is the third largest producer of hard capsules for oral dosage solutions. Through this acquisition, Roquette aims at consolidating our leadership position to continue increasing our capability to serve customers and the market with superior solutions and an expanded choice. The newly combined business will offer the most diverse solutions with a full range of hard and soft capsules, fillers and binders, disintegrants and other solutions.
Concluding the year at CPHI Barcelona, we also launched three new excipient grades which offer stabilizing and moisture protective benefits. LYCATAB® CT-LM low moisture partially pregelatinized starch is a multifunctional filler, binder, and disintegrant offering extremely low Aw not more than NMT 0.1% for superior stability in solid oral preparations. Suitable for dry granulation, hard capsule filling and direct compression, MICROCEL® 103 SD microcrystalline cellulose offers consistent granulometric distribution and an Aw of NMT 0.2% for improved production efficiency and long-term product quality. MICROCEL® 113 SD microcrystalline cellulose is similarly primed for repeatable performance, building the benefits for moisture sensitive formulations with an Aw of NMT 0.1%. Lactose-, gluten- and sugar-free with a non-GMO positioning, both grades take hard tablet production up a gear, marrying reliability with superior stability to unlock tablets that stay effective throughout their shelf life.
Our pharma teams have had a full 2023 attending tradeshows, conferences, and innovation days, as well as hosting several webinars throughout the year. We have achieved great things in 2023 with our customers and partners, and we are looking forward to a strong and prosperous 2024 together.
Roquette Pharma Solutions