Evonik has boosted its supply of plant-derived cholesterol, a component in the manufacture of mRNA vaccines and gene therapies. Increased production of PhytoChol in Hanau, Germany, is aimed to meet growing market demand for cholesterol. This lipid is one of the key excipients in the lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) used in COVID-19 vaccines.
Advances in research have made lipid-based drug delivery increasingly relevant for a broader range of therapeutics, the company says, including vaccines against infectious diseases and cancer immunotherapy.
By expanding manufacturing capacities for this ingredient, the company strengthens its portfolio of system solutions for advanced drug delivery. Its non-animal derived, which minimises risks associated with cholesterol from animal origin, such as undesired immunological responses and inconsistent quality. PhytoChol is available in two grades that are tailored to the specific needs of injectables and biopharmaceutical cell culture applications.
“As one of the few suppliers of high-quality, non-animal-derived cholesterol for the pharmaceutical industry, we are proud to provide innovators with a critical excipient for a wide range of innovative nucleic acid therapeutics,” said Dr Thomas Riermeier, Head of Evonik’s Health Care business line. “Increasing our supply of PhytoChol is a timely step to further fuel the development of mRNA and gene therapies as well as biopharmaceutical cell culture applications.”
