Evonik increases its plant-based cholesterol treatment capacity

Evonik increased its supply of plant-derived cholesterol, one of the most critical components for making mRNA vaccines and uncomfortable therapies. Large-scale production of PhytoChol in Hanau, Germany will meet growing market demand for cholesterol. This lipid is one of the key excipients of lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) used in COVID-19 vaccines. Rapid advances in research are making lipid-based products drug administration increasingly relevant for a wider range of therapeutics, including vaccines against Infectious diseases and cancer immunotherapy.

An increased supply of PhytoChol supports the growth trajectory of Evonik’s Health Care business, which is part of the life sciences division, Nutrition & Care. By increasing PhytoChol’s manufacturing capabilities, Nutrition & Care is strengthening its portfolio of system solutions for advanced drug delivery. The division aims to increase the share of system solutions from 20% today to over 50% by 2030.

“As one of the few suppliers of high-quality, non-animal-derived cholesterol to the pharmaceutical industry, we pride ourselves on providing innovators with an essential solution vehicle for a wide range of innovative therapeutic nucleic acids,” said Thomas Riermeier, Head of Evonik’s Health Care Business Line. “Increasing our PhytoChol offering is a timely step to further fuel the development of mRNA and gene therapies as well as biopharmaceutical cell culture applications.”

PhytoChol is not of animal origin and therefore minimizes the risks associated with animal-derived cholesterol, such as adverse immunological responses and inconsistent quality. It is an essential excipient for lipid-based delivery of large molecules such as mRNA. PhytoChol is available in two grades tailored to the specific needs of injectables and biopharmaceutical cell culture applications.

As an integrated contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), Evonik Health Care has been a leader in advanced drug delivery for many decades, supporting pharmaceutical companies around the world with end-to-end CDMO services. for the development and production of complex drugs. parenteral drug some products.