Nouryon has secured regulatory clearance in China for its Cekol CMC-Na, opening the door for the specialty chemicals company to supply the pharmaceutical ingredient to drugmakers in one of the world’s largest medicines manufacturing markets.

 

The approval by China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) covers Cekol CMC-Na, a plant-based carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) excipient used to bind, thicken and stabilize pharmaceutical formulations.

 

Manufactured at Nouryon’s facility in Finland, the water-soluble polymer provides drugmakers with a plant-based alternative to synthetic excipients. It dissolves readily in formulations and can help simplify processing where less-soluble alternatives may present challenges.

 

CMC plays a critical role across a range of pharmaceutical applications. It can bind ingredients in tablets, thicken syrups and keep active ingredients evenly suspended to support consistent dosing. The ingredient is also used in tablet coatings, eye drops and gels, including applications designed to control the release of active pharmaceutical ingredients.

 

“China sets a high bar for drug ingredients, and this approval makes our product available to drugmakers there,” said Bahar Azimipour, global vice president of Nouryon's Pharmaceutical business. “This approval builds on our global supply of pharmaceutical-grade CMC that is already trusted by drugmakers around the world and extends that opportunity to serve customers into China.”

 

The approval strengthens Nouryon’s position in the global pharmaceutical ingredients market and expands the reach of its pharmaceutical-grade CMC portfolio into China.

 

The pharmaceutical portfolio sits within Nouryon’s Life Sciences business unit, part of the company’s Consumer and Life Sciences segment. The business supplies specialty chemistries for applications ranging from modern medicine to crop production.