Evonik to open plant for biodegradable polymers in Darmstadt

At the beginning of 2014, Evonik will open a new facility in Darmstadt to host the manufacturing and development of RESOMER? products as well as some formulation development activities for customers’ drug products. The 4,000 m2 production and laboratory facility constructed over the last 18 months will start welcoming personnel and equipment as early as January and will open officially in the second quarter of 2014.

The RESOMER? business was acquired from Boehringer Ingelheim in March 2011. It was then agreed that production and development could remain at the Ingelheim campus of Boehringer Ingelheim for a period of 36 months to assure business continuity.

"The transfer of the RESOMER? production from Ingelheim to Darmstadt is on schedule," says Dr. Jean-Luc Herbeaux, Head of the Health Care Business Line of Evonik. "We look forward to having our teams together at our Darmstadt campus as the final step in the integration of the RESOMER? business."

The new building was designed specifically for RESOMER? production: "All production steps will be carried out in a closed clean-room environment in one building” explains Dr. J?rg Pietsch, Head of RESOMER? production.

The RESOMER? business comprises a portfolio of standard and customised polymers used in the manufacture of medical devices and pharmaceutical formulations. Based on lactic and glycolic acids, RESOMER? polymers are fully biodegradable in the body. Biodegradable polymers are used for controlled release depot formulations (such as gel, microspheres and rod implants) with a therapeutic effect for up to six months. The lactic acid polymers are also used in the manufacture of biodegradable medical devices such as surgical screws, nails, and plates which disintegrate without trace after a defined life span in the body, making further surgery to extract them unnecessary.

RESOMER? is part of the Evonik’s Health Care portfolio of differentiated products and services for the pharmaceutical and medical device industry. From drug substance custom manufacturing to excipients for oral (EUDRAGIT?) and parenteral (RESOMER?) formulations, from formulation development to clinical and commercial drug product supply, Evonik covers the entire drug development value chain. The ability to access a broad range of competencies and differentiated technologies makes Evonik the enabling partner to the pharmaceutical and medical device industry.