Avantium Pharma BV, a leader in solid state research and pre-formulation for the pharmaceutical industry over the last 11 years, has been spun out from Avantium Holding BV in a management buy-out to create Crystallics.

The new company will remain in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and will specialize in solid state research and pre-formulation for pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, as well as, pharmaceutical contract manufacturing organizations and agrochemical companies. Gunnar Staaf, Chief Executive Officer, commented: "Crystallics' core business focus will be in solid state research and pre-formulation, an area where we have built up considerable expertise over the last decade. I believe our proprietary technology, experienced team, together with a strong customer focus, make Crystallics an ideal partner."

Solid state research plays a central role in the pharmaceutical industry. Active pharmaceutical ingredients can exist in a number of solid forms, such as polymorphs, salts, co-crystals, hydrates, or amorphous forms. Various solid state forms of the same active pharmaceutical ingredient will have different characteristics that can have a significant impact on the safety and efficacy of a drug product. Marcel Hoffmann, Chief Scientific Officer, said: "We believe in a tailored, science based approach to meet the customer's project objectives and budgets. Quality and speed will be at the heart of our research approach."

About Crystallics - www.crystallics.com
Crystallics is a science driven contract research organization specializing in pre-formulation and identification of the physical forms of drug substances, including polymorphs, salts, co-crystals and amorphous phases. Screening, characterization and selection of solid forms, as well as crystallization process development and optimization are the main focus.

Crystallics has developed a number of unique and 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. These unique, proprietary technologies, together with a strong customer focus, make Crystallics the supplier of choice for solid state research and pre-formulation. Over the last decade, the vast majority of large and medium sized pharmaceutical companies, as well as, many smaller biotechnology companies have commissioned solid state and pre-formulation work with Crystallics.

Crystallics' services include:

• Polymorph / salt / co-crystal screening
• Amorphous solid dispersions
• Solid form selection and characterization
• Pre-formulation studies
• Crystallization process development and optimization
• Intellectual Property consultancy

About Avantium - www.avantium.com
Avantium is a leading technology company specialized in the area of advanced high-throughput research and development. The company develops and commercializes YXY - its new brand name for chemical building blocks for making green materials and fuels that can compete on price and performance. Avantium has demonstrated the value and commercial potential of its unique technology and knowledge by collaborating with leading companies in the energy and chemical industries. Avantium has a global customer base for its profitable research and development services and systems offering, including market leaders such as BP, Shell and Sasol. Avantium offices and headquarters are based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

For more information about Avantium, please contact Mariëtte Hoogendoorn on +31 20 586 8010 or visit the corporate website www.avantium.com or the product website www.yxy.com.