Asahi Kasei Corporation completed an expansion
of production capacity for microcrystalline cellulose (MCC)
at its Tohmi Plant in Nobeoka, Miyazaki Prefecture, on February
1, 2003, and volume production of Ceolus™ KG has begun.
Ceolus KG is an MCC for use as a pharmaceutical excipient
developed by Asahi Kasei with twice the compactibility of
conventional MCC.
Annual worldwide demand for MCC is approximately
50,000 tons. Demand growth is centered in developing Asia,
as markets in North America, Europe, and Japan are mature.
The principal application for MCC is as a pharmaceutical excipient,
with annual worldwide demand of approximately 30,000 tons.
Of this, about 50% of the market is in North America, 25%
is in Europe, and 7% is in Japan. Asahi Kasei commands a disproportionate
lead in the Japanese market, and its share of the world market
is estimated to be 15%.
Ceolus KG was developed by Asahi Kasei for
differentiation from conventional MCC grades by its high performance,
and is protected by a number of patents. It is distinguished
by its rod-form particle configuration for superior interparticle
cohesion when compression force is applied, resulting in twice
the compactibility of conventional MCC. This enables tablets
of equivalent hardness to be produced with lower compression
force and less excipient than would conventionally be required.
With its unmatched performance advantages,
Ceolus KG meets pharmaceutical industry needs for:
- Smaller tablet size – to make
large-dose drugs without increasing tablet size, and
to make small, easy-to-swallow tablets for seniors.
- Tableting at low compression force
– to enable tableting of drugs which are sensitive
to loss of activity due to heat generated during compression.
- Reduced tablet breakage and fragmentation
– to improve productivity by lowering production
loss.
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While emerging markets for pharmaceutical
applications in developing Asia continue to advance, Ceolus
KG will serve as a strategic product which will arouse latent
demand in the mature markets of North America, Europe, and
Japan by enabling users to secure previously unobtainable
added value, expanding Asahi Kasei’s global share in
pharmaceutical MCC.
In recognition of its inherent performance
advantages, major pharmaceutical makers in Japan and North
America are increasingly using Ceolus KG. The Tohmi Plant
expansion announced today will enable the stable supply of
approximately 1000 tons/year of Ceolus KG to meet this strong
and growing demand.
Concurrently, the development of marketing
and distribution channels for Ceolus KG in North America and
Europe is advancing apace.
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