Global producer of calcium carbonate sets up laboratory for pharmaceutical and nutraceutical applications
Omya’s new laboratory in Oftringen comprises a wet lab for product development, a dry lab for granulation, tabletting and performance analysis, as well as storage and office space. The latest equipment – including fluid-bed technology, a roller compactor and a rotary tablet press – allows for high-quality mineral research, development and technical customer support.
Until now, Omya has carried out pharmaceutical product development with external partners through third-party agreements. However, securing intellectual property rights in collaborations such as these can be challenging. With its own lab, Omya can react to market needs much faster now and ensures legal certainty for both itself and its customers, which is a prerequisite for the company to be able to sell its products without restrictions.
Of paramount importance for the new laboratory will be developing innovative applications and maintaining ongoing natural minerals research projects. These include Omyapharm, a functionalised calcium carbonate and excipient that allows granules and tablets with high levels of mechanical strength and fast disintegration times to be produced.
“With the new laboratory, we are able to protect intellectual properties and further extend our specialist calcium carbonate expertise. This includes developing new structured minerals that are tailor-made for specific applications or optimising existing products to meet the changing needs of the industry. Moreover, our experienced team of scientists and technicians is available to support customers regarding product development and ensure shorter times-to-market for pharmaceutical and nutraceutical products,” explains Stefan Lander, vice president consumer goods at Omya.