Rousselot, Darling Ingredients’ health brand, and the global leader of collagen-based solutions1, today announced that the European Patent Office (EPO) has granted the company’s patent application for Rousselot StabiCaps, a gelatin excipient solution that improves soft gel formulation and stability.
Due to its natural properties, functional benefits and suitability for immediate release dosing, gelatin is the most common gel forming agent used in soft gel production2. Launched in 2018, StabiCaps features gelatins that offer superior shell stability and Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) release levels, when compared to standard gelatins. With strong shell stability and the ability to properly dissolve over time, StabiCaps minimizes the risk of cross-linking reactions in soft gel production, a common challenge faced by nutraceutical and pharmaceutical manufacturers when using reactive fills.
“As Darling Ingredients’ health brand, we constantly push to create innovative solutions in the health space and protect them through patents,” said Pierre-Albert Thomas, Director, Rousselot Functional Ingredients. “After obtaining the EPO patent for SiMoGel™, a gelatin solution for functional gummies last November, we proudly add this new patent for StabiCaps to our portfolio. Functional gummies and soft gels are two of the fastest growing dosage formats in the healthcare sector today. This new patent provides our customers with the security and freedom to operate using our product.”
The patent granted for StabiCaps by the EPO (ref. EP 17754820.3) is effective in all major countries in Europe and is pending in Brazil, China and the United States.
The rise of soft capsules
Soft capsules, also known as soft gels, are mainly used as a vessel for oil-based liquids or paste-like fills, and have grown in popularity over the years because of ease of absorption. The market for soft gels is expected to grow 9% compounded annually over the next six years3. By 2028, the category is estimated to be worth $9.1 billion USD4.
1Collagen, Market estimates and trend analysis, 2022 Grand View Research.
2The gelatin segment accounted for the largest revenue share in 2020 due to its advantages over any other excipient in the excipient industry. Source: Grand view research, 2021
32021, Verified Market Research. www.verifiedmarketresearch.com/product/softgel-capsules-market/
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