Merck markets Sucralose sweetener for pharmaceuticals
In cooperation with Tate & Lyle, Merck is marketing an innovative sweetener for drugs
In cooperation with Tate & Lyle, ingredient manufacturer Merck is marketing an innovative sweetener for drugs.
EMPROVE Sucralose is a zero-calorie sweetener made from sugar and, says the company, offers distinctive advantages over other sweeteners in terms of sweetness, taste, stability, and safety.
Sucralose is 600 times sweeter than normal sugar, tastes like sugar, is safe for consumers, and is well suited for various pharmaceutical applications.
EMD, the North American division of Merck, has signed a global agreement with manufacturer Tate & Lyle to supply Sucralose to pharmaceutical partners worldwide. EMD will also be responsible for instrumental analysis.
Sucralose has no calories, does not cause caries and dissolves easily. With its clean, pleasant and sugar-like taste, Sucralose is able to mask with equal ease bitterness and medicinal off-notes. The company says it offers great shelf and process stability, and is synergistic with fructose and corn syrups. Due to its high-intensity sweetness and its extraordinary pH and heat stability sucralose can be used in a wide variety of pharmaceutical formulations.
It is suited for all applications where the goal is to mask the bitter flavour of medicine as efficiently as possible, for example in syrups, lozenges or chewable tablets. Particularly important applications are orally disintegrating tablets (ODT products) where good taste is a key factor for market success. Sucralose is also suitable for children, pregnant women and persons with diabetes or glucose intolerance.
The product has been approved by the FDA, is part of the US Pharmacopoeia, and has been used in products approved by the European Medicines Agency as well.
Produced under cGMP conditions and will be distributed as part of EMD’s EMPROVE product range which offers high quality products with comprehensive product documentation.
It is available in 1kg and 10kg containers in pharma grade and in both micronised and granular form.