Roquette, a global leader in plant-based ingredients and a leading provider of naturally-derived pharmaceutical excipients, announces its plans to open a new Innovation Center in the US to further the advancement of prescription drugs – and beyond. Located in Pennsylvania, the new state-of-the-art facility aims to better serve Roquette’s global customer base by working closely with its specialist pharmaceutical teams, based at sister sites in Singapore and France. Together, they aim to advance the research of drug delivery systems for oral prescription drugs and nutraceutical active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), while improving speed to market.
“The recent pandemic has highlighted the importance of continued collaboration in the global healthcare community to bring innovative new products and services to fruition,” says Paul Smaltz – Vice President of Pharmaceutical Solutions at Roquette. “We’re proud to play a role in the advancement of treatments that help improve, sustain and save lives – and this Innovation Center is the next step in providing an even greater level of support to customers looking to push the boundaries of R&D and progress new product developments to market quickly. As an important hub for innovation in the US, Pennsylvania is the ideal location to enable us to collaborate more effectively with our partners and help address important future nutrition and health challenges with next-level, premium solutions.”
The investment of US$25M will reinforce the group’s position as a leader in the pharmaceutical markets. Roquette’s brand-new Innovation Center will house an Applied Sciences facility, focusing on the research of excipients for oral dosage forms, drug delivery systems, nutraceutical APIs and innovative pharmaceutical ingredients. This will sit alongside its Customer Technical Services (CTS) Laboratory, to enable a deeper level of collaboration with customers formulating drugs in new product pipelines. There will also be access to an auditorium on-site, where monthly symposiums and customer training will take place, helping industry professionals stay up-to-date with the latest pharmaceutical science and developments. The new facility will employ approximately 30 people including 20 highly skilled scientists.
“45% of drugs developed globally come from the US. Expanding our operations in this market is therefore key to achieving Roquette’s strong growth ambitions for its pharma business,” explains Roquette’s CEO, Pierre Courduroux. “The new facility reflects Roquette’s commitment to the region and the wider scientific community, while also representing a key milestone in our goal to becoming the number one trusted formulation and technology partner for its customers. Through the investment, we aim to solidify our global leadership position and ability to address the world’s most pressing nutrition and health challenges.”
The 23,000 ft2 US facility is due to open in Summer 2022 and will house Roquette Pharmaceutical Solutions’ headquarters, serving as an innovation hub for team members across the globe from its base in Spring House, Pennsylvania. It will complement the advanced research in biopharmaceutical applications currently being undertaken in Singapore, as well as its central R&D function in France. All three locations are ideally placed to better serve customers globally, covering a wide variety of applications and supporting companies and formulators of all sizes.
About Roquette: “Offering the Best of Nature”
Roquette is a global leader in plant-based ingredients, a pioneer of plant proteins and a leading provider of pharmaceutical excipients. The group addresses current and future societal challenges by unlocking the potential of nature to offer the best ingredients for food, nutrition and health markets. In collaboration with customers who are also passionate about the ongoing food revolution, Roquette contributes to developing a whole new gastronomy that meets consumers’ demands.
In the pharma sector, Roquette offers solutions that play a critical role in medical treatments that cure and save lives. Thanks to a constant drive for innovation and a long-term vision, the group is committed to improving the well- being of millions of people all over the world, while taking care of resources and territories. Founded in 1933, Roquette is a family-owned company that operates in more than 100 countries, has a turnover of around 3.5 billion euros, and employs 8,360 people worldwide.
