Croda International has signed two new partnership agreements that will help the pharmaceutical industry move towards a more sustainable supply chain for chemicals which make vaccines work more effectively.
The first is an exclusive license agreement with Amyris, a leading synthetic biology company, for the supply of biotechnology-derived, pharmaceutical grade squalene to boost immune responses. Squalene is commonly sourced from shark liver, whereas Amyris’ sustainable squalene is derived from sugarcane, providing an identical molecule with higher purity.
The second is with Botanical Solutions Inc to produce a sustainable pharmaceutical grade QS-21 chemical for the production of the next generation of vaccine development. Today, QS-21 is produced by harvesting mature soap trees to extract QS-21 from the bark, whereas BSI’s adjuvant is derived from plant tissue culture.
Daniele Piergentili, President Life Sciences at Croda, said: “Our partnerships with Amyris and BSI are fully aligned with Croda’s commitment to be the most sustainable supplier of innovative ingredients across our growth markets and with our pharmaceutical strategy to “Empower Biologics Delivery”.
“Our ambition is to be able to offer vaccine developers the most appropriate systems to maximise the efficacy of their antigen. These sustainably-sourced technologies are a perfect extension to our broad spectrum of cGMP vaccine adjuvants, and we eagerly look forward to leveraging it globally across our customer base”.
