Smart excipient from Palatinit

A new range of multifunctional excipient was launched under the brandname galenIQ by German company Palatinit, part of the Suedzucker group.

It is said to offer the combined advantages of other bulk excipients, such as mannitol, sorbitol, lactose or microcrystalline cellulose, and not only facilitate pharmaceutical development and formulation but also meet pharma quality standards.

Chemically, galenIQ is based on hydrogenated isomaltulose (HI, also known as isomalt) but with physical and chemical modifications. Palatinit says galenIQ's qualities are tailor-made for pharmaceutical applications mainly in the field of solid-dosage forms for oral delivery.

It has very low hygroscopicity and can therefore be used for moisture-sensitive APIs. At 25°C it absorbs hardly any water until the relative humidity (RH) exceeds 85%, and even at 60°C it begins to absorb water only at 65% RH. This low hygroscopic nature combined with an anti-caking property makes for easy mixing, agglomeration or tableting, and helps to eliminate the need for costly protective packaging.

GalenIQ comes in a variety of solubility grades, is compatible with most active ingredients and is resistant to degradation by enzymes and acids.