Chemicals firm wins contract to help deliver COVID-19 vaccine

East Yorkshire-based speciality chemical business Croda International has signed an agreement with Pfizer Inc. to supply novel substances called excipients, which are used in the manufacture of a COVID-19 vaccine candidate.

The contract with Pfizer runs for five years and awards Croda an initial supply contract for four component excipients used in the production of the vaccine candidate for the first three years of the contract.

Excipients play a central role in the drug development process, in the formulation of stable dosage forms and in their administration.

They are substances that serve as the vehicle or medium for a drug or other active substance to be delivered.

Croda says it recently acquired subsidiary, Avanti Polar Lipids, Inc, specialises in the development and production of high-purity lipids, to produce research and clinical trial quantities of excipients in order to stabilise formulations and enable delivery into the body by injection for drug and vaccine applications.

Steve Foots

Steve Foots, chief executive officer at Croda, said: “I’m very proud of Croda’s involvement in the battle to fight the most significant pandemic that we have seen in a generation.

“The application of our innovative capabilities is testament to the strong progress we have made to create industry-leading drug delivery systems, focused on developing speciality excipients and adjuvants to improve the effectiveness and stability of complex drug actives and vaccines.

“It is another example of why our purpose – Smart Science to Improve Lives – sits at the heart of our strategy and will continue to drive our priorities and ambitions in the years ahead.”