Avantium spins out pharma business
To create an independent business called Crystallics, specialising in solid state research
Avantium Pharma, a Dutch technology company specialising in advanced high-throughput r&d, has been spun out from Avantium Holding in a management buy-out to create an independent business called Crystallics.
The new company will remain in Amsterdam and will specialise in solid state research and pre-formulation for pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, as well as for contract manufacturing organisations and agrochemical companies.
Tom van Aken, chief executive of Avantium, said: ‘The spin-out of our pharmaceutical business is an important step for Avantium to become a focused cleantech company.’
Crystallics, a science-driven contract research organisation, will specialise in pre-formulation and identification of the physical forms of drug substances, including polymorphs, salts, co-crystals and amorphous phases.
Screening, characterisation and selection of solid forms, as well as crystallisation process development and optimisation will be the main focus.
Chief executive Gunnar Staaf and chief scientific officer Marcel Hoffmann will manage the new company.
‘We have built up considerable expertise in solid state research and pre-formulation over the last decade. I believe our proprietary technology, experienced team, together with a strong customer focus, make Crystallics an ideal partner,’ said Staaf.
Hoffmann said Crystallics believes in a tailored, science based approach to meet the customer’s project objectives and budgets and quality and speed will be at the heart of the company’s research approach.
Crystallics has developed a number of proprietary technologies both in hardware and software, including High Throughput X-ray Powder Diffraction (HT-XRPD) technology and laboratory informatics, data analysis and predictive models.