AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals is extending its offering of Kromasil silica products to support key steps in drug development.

The new Kromasil line targets supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC), which has emerged as a favored drug development technology. It enables the separation of a wide variety of compounds, while lowering costs, shortening time to market, and reducing waste since CO2 is used instead of organic solvents. The new line addresses unmet needs in the SFC market and will strengthen the company's leadership position in chromatography.

"The pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries are increasingly looking to novel compounds like peptides and synthetic molecules," said Mattias Bengtsson, Director of Kromasil and Fine Chemicals. "Building on the successful introduction of our SFC platform in 2015, we are now able to provide more options to analyze and purify a much wider range of active ingredients used for medicine. Not only do our customers benefit, but ultimately we are contributing to improved treatments and a better quality of life."

Niek Stapel, Executive Committee Member responsible for Pulp and Performance Chemicals added: "This is the latest in a series of innovations brought to market under the Kromasil brand in recent years. By working together with the industry to further refine and expand our products and solutions, we are helping make research and production more efficient and growing with our customers."

Kromasil products are used by the pharmaceutical, food and beverage, clinical, and environmental industries for applications ranging from laboratory analysis up to industrial-scale purification. Kromasil allows many diabetics around the world to enjoy fuller lives by being a vital part of the purification of insulin.

"The new Kromasil expansion further supports our range of offerings to the pharmaceutical industry," said Werner Fuhrmann, CEO of AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals. "This includes pharmaceutical-grade salt used in intravenous solutions and liquid medicines; high purity carboxymethyl cellulose used as a super disintegrant in pharmaceutical tablets; and organic peroxides and chlorine-based intermediates used as key reagents in making of some of the largest blockbuster drugs."