Novozymes Biopharma showcased its Q7 cGMP-grade hyaluronic acid (HA) - suitable for medical device and pharmaceutical applications, such as cancer treatment - at CPhI Worldwide 2011.
The Bacillus-derived HA has been developed to improve how customers process and formulate HA and to help speed up product development and create improved therapeutics.
To produce the HA, the company uses a patented water-based process, which is run in compliance with ICH Q7 cGMP guidelines.
The resulting HA is free of animal-derived components and organic solvents, resulting in a high degree of purity and a low risk of contamination.
It offers high batch-to-batch consistency with tight control of molecular weight for improved formulation control, as well as the capability to dissolve up to five times faster than other commercially available sources of HA, according to Novozymes.
In addition, its good heat stability permits autoclaving without loss of product viscosity.
The new HA can be customised further using the company's cross-linking technology to achieve a specified viscosity, allowing the product to be adapted for a range of drug delivery and medical device applications.
From ophthalmology and dermal filling to osteoarthritis treatments and cancer treatment, the technology will assist customers to create improved therapeutics with benefits for both manufacturers and patients.
Novozymes' HA will be commercially available in December.
