Posted on Dec. 2021 at 16:34
This is a consequence of the deindustrialisation of France in terms of medicine. The French group Roquette, which specializes among other things in pharmaceutical excipients (the inert part of the drug), has chosen the United States to set up its new innovation center dedicated to pharmacy which will open its doors in the summer of 2022. “Nearly half of pharmaceutical development is carried out in the United States, explains Paul Smaltz, vice-president of pharmaceutical solutions for the northern group.
“The site, located at Spring House in Pennsylvania, will complement the advanced research on biopharmaceutical applications currently being carried out in Singapore”, continues the manager. If Roquette is mainly interested in excipients for small molecules, the French is, in fact, also a supplier of nutrients for bioproduction. Finally, the Spring house site will also house the headquarters of Roquette Pharmaceutical Solutions, although the central R & D function will remain in France.
10 billion in 2025
This new center, which required an investment of $ 25 million, will employ around 30 people. It will house an applied science laboratory focused on the research of excipients for oral forms, drug delivery systems, nutraceutical active ingredients and innovative pharmaceutical ingredients. An auditorium will bring together symposia where customers can learn about the latest advances. They will also be able to work closely with Roquette researchers in a technical service center.
The pharmaceutical excipients market, estimated at $ 7 billion in 2019, is expected to approach 10 billion in 2025. The United States is the main geographic area, but Asia-Pacific is experiencing the strongest growth, Europe lying in the middle. Roquette is third in the world in this very competitive market, but without a truly dominant player.
Functional excipients
Diluents and coatings represent more than 40% of the market, but it is “binders” or binders (which improve the mechanical strength of tablets), which are booming, as are so-called “functional” excipients – because they are used in Sustained-release formulations that are on the rise. Roquette is well positioned to support these developments, which explains in particular that the growth of the French group is greater than that of the market. The new R & D center in Pennsylvania is part of this logic.
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