Press Room
October 3, 2006
Cognis at the CPhI show: high-purity products and state-of-the-art manufacturing processes for the pharmaceutical industry
At this year’s CPhI show in Paris, Cognis’ Pharmaceuticals & Healthcare business unit exhibited its range of natural-sourced raw materials, excipients and drug delivery agents designed to meet the needs of today’s pharmaceutical industry. These included the Chitopharm® excipient – a polysaccharide that accelerates the healing of flesh wounds, the DermazLine® range of high-purity azelaic acids, and the PharmaLineTM range of high-quality excipients.
In response to the heavy regulatory burden on today’s pharmaceutical industry, Cognis has broadened its range of high-purity products and has introduced state-of-the-art manufacturing processes. Chitopharm, for example, represents one of the few natural cationic polymers currently available, and is both non-toxic and biodegradable. Because it contains exceptionally low levels of endotoxins and heavy metals, it is suitable for use in a wide range of medical applications, including dermatological treatments, tissue engineering, cell culture and wound dressings. Cognis has successfully applied for US drug master files for Chitopharm, meaning that it is approved for use by Cognis customers as a pharmaceutical excipient.
Another highlight at the booth was the company’s DermazLine range: It is usually used in the manufacture of products to treat acne, rosacea and other skin disorders. The azelaic acids are manufactured by the ozone oxidation of vegetable-based oleic acids. Cognis is the largest producer of azelaic acids in the world.
Cognis presented also PharmaLine, high-purity oleochemicals and derivatives, which also have a US drug master file. The excipients in this product range, which include fatty alcohols, ethoxylates, stearic acids and castor oil derivatives, comply with the latest Pharmacopeia and regulatory requirements. They are used in pharmaceutical formulations as tableting aids, solubilizers, emulsifiers, emollients, consistency factors, cream bases and suppository masses, moisturizers and surfactants for solid, semi-solid and liquid pharmaceutical dosage forms.
GMP: Aligning Cognis with customer requirements
The quality of excipients is critical to the safety, quality and efficacy of medicines, which is why secure, standardized manufacturing processes are very important in the pharmaceutical industry. As a result, the company has implemented a range of good manufacturing practice (GMP) regulations. In 2006, the DQS (Deutsche Gesellschaft zur Zertifizierung von Managementsystemen) gave Cognis a declaration of conformity with the IPEC-PQG GMP guidelines for its pharmaceutical excipient manufacturing process. “GMP has helped Cognis to improve its quality management and align itself more closely with the needs of its customers. This enables Cognis to offer its customers value-added solutions, which meet both its business imperatives and consumer needs,” says Dr. Jochen Seifert, Global Product Line Manager Pharmaceuticals & Healthcare. “We are proud that our PharmaLine range, which we are exhibiting at this year’s CPhI show, already conforms with the IPEQ-PQG Good Manufacturing Practice guidelines.”
About Cognis
Cognis is a worldwide supplier of innovative specialty chemicals and nutritional ingredients, with a particular focus on the areas of wellness and sustainability. The company employs about 8,000 people, and it operates production sites and service centers in 30 countries. Cognis has dedicated its activities to a high level of sustainability and delivers natural source raw materials and ingredients for food, nutrition and healthcare markets, and the cosmetics, detergents and cleaners industries. Another main focus is on products for a number of other industries, such as coatings and inks, lubricants, textiles, as well as agriculture and mining. The company holds a 50-percent stake in the joint venture Cognis Oleochemicals, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of oleochemicals.
Cognis is owned by private equity funds advised by Permira, GS Capital Partners, and SV Life Sciences. In 2005, Cognis recorded sales of 3.18 billion euros and an Adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, income taxes, depreciation, amortization and exceptional items) of 356 million euros.
Contact
Andrea Pitrella, Marketing Manager
Pharmaceuticals & Healthcare
Cognis Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG
Phone: +49-2173-4995-128
E-mail: andrea.pitrella@cognis.com
pharmaceuticals@cognis.com
Internet: www.cognis.com
www.pharmaline.com
Dr. Claudia Scholz
Research Platform Manager
Cognis Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG
Phone: +49-30-843-127-71
E-mail: claudia.scholz@cognis.com
Internet: www.cognis.com
Raquel Ark, Corporate Communications Manager
Cognis Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG
Phone: +49-2173-4995-464
E-mail: raquel.ark@cognis.com
Internet: www.cognis.com