Capsugel purchases Encap Drug Delivery

Published: 1-Mar-2013

Expanding lipid expertise of Dosage Form Solutions (DFS) business


Capsugel has bought Encap Drug Delivery, a contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO) based in Scotland, for an undisclosed sum.

The transaction adds liquid and semi-solid encapsulation-based product development, and clinical and commercial manufacturing to Capsugel’s recently established Dosage Form Solutions (DFS) business unit, which develops and manufactures innovative products for the healthcare industry.

‘The combination of DFS and Encap creates greater depth and breadth of our technology platforms, product development capabilities, and manufacturing infrastructure, which will collectively enhance our ability to improve our healthcare customers’ products in areas such as bioavailability, stability, dosing and delivery, and overall time-to-market,’ said Amit Patel, President of Capsugel DFS.

Encap operates an FDA and MHRA inspected pharmaceutical product development and manufacturing site at Livingston, West Lothian. The plant is equipped to handle high potency active ingredients, and has established a clinical fast-track programme that can speed the process from lab to clinic.

Additionally, Encap’s proprietary targeted release technologies (DuoCap and Encode) and abuse deterrence technologies (Abusolve) will add to Capsugel’s growing product offerings in these areas.

The combination of DFS and Encap creates greater depth and breadth of our technology platforms

Capsugel’s DFS’s lipid-based technology platform currently includes proprietary Licaps liquid-filled capsules, softgels, solid-lipid pellets, and a lipid formulation software system aimed at accelerating lipid-based product development for customers. The business unit’s emerging targeted release technology platform includes specialised capsules that enable different types and levels of controlled release delivery.

Stephen Brown, CEO of Encap Drug Delivery, said the acquisition by Capsugel ‘will globalise the reach of our products and services’.

He added that Encap’s focus on liquid-filled technologies ‘has allowed us to develop depth in bioavailability enhancement and drug delivery and we are pleased to join Capsugel, the industry leader in hard capsules and lipid-based dosage form development and manufacturing.’

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