World Pharma Today, recently got in touch with Roquette’s Dr. Vinod Tuliani, where he spoke extensively about the accolades for the company, the innovations that are taking place in the biopharmaceutical space, and how the company has come of age. Here’s a look into a one-on-one Q&A session with him that brings to the forefront positive outcomes Roquette is focused on.
1. Congratulations on winning the Biopharma Innovation of the Year Award! Can you share more details about the innovation that led to this recognition?
Winning the award is a tremendous honor for us at Roquette because it acknowledges our dedication to pushing the boundaries of pharmaceutical innovation. This success is an endorsement of our efforts to solve the toughest challenges in drug delivery by harnessing ingredients, like KLEPTOSE® Biopharma hydroxypropyl beta-cyclodextrin. Having our solution recognized in this way is a testament to our team’s expertise, creativity and commitment to driving progress in the biopharmaceutical sector. We are incredibly proud and energized by this recognition, which will motivate us to further advance our innovations and meet the evolving needs of our clients and the industry at large.
2. What specific challenges or unmet needs does this innovation address, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region?
KLEPTOSE® Biopharma is the solution for tackling the complex challenges that biopharmaceutical companies face when manufacturing biologic drugs. One of the most pervasive issues affecting these formulations is protein stability, or ensuring active therapeutic agents remain intact throughout various production stages. By enhancing downstream protein recovery, reducing subvisible particle formation, and stabilizing antibodies during ultrafiltration and diafiltration, KLEPTOSE® Biopharma helps producers overcome these challenges to deliver transformative and life-saving treatments.
3. How has Roquette’s presence in Asia-Pacific evolved, and what strategic importance does the region hold for your global operations?
The Asia-Pacific region holds significant strategic importance for Roquette due to its many rapidly growing pharmaceutical markets. Since 2001, our presence in the region has expanded considerably, as we have focused on meeting the specific needs of local markets through strategic innovation and collaboration. From our regional headquarters and state-of-the-art Innovation Center in Singapore, we work closely with our partners and customers to tailor our solutions for regional preferences and manufacturing requirements.
A great example of this is our ongoing development of excipients designed to unlock safe and convenient dosage forms for geriatric patients. We see this theme as especially relevant for the Asia-Pacific region, where several key markets, including Japan and Korea, are contending with the challenge of caring for an aging population. In everything we do, in every region we operate, our ongoing strategy is to anticipate and respond to changing demand in the healthcare sector through a customer- and patient-oriented approach, complemented by scientific expertise, new technologies and robust partnerships.
4. With your biopharma innovation recognized in Korea, how do you plan to leverage this success to strengthen your position in other key Asia-Pacific markets?
The recognition of KLEPTOSE® Biopharma further solidifies Roquette’s unique approach to biopharmaceutical innovation – globally and in the growing Asia-Pacific market. We plan to build on this success by expanding our collaborations with biopharma companies in key Asia-Pacific markets such as Korea. We equally see exciting opportunities to leverage our acquisition of leading capsule manufacturer, Qualicaps, late last year by combining its long-established manufacturing presence in the region with the existing R&D excellence of our Singapore Innovation Center.
5. The Asia-Pacific biopharmaceutical market is highly competitive. What distinguishes Roquette’s approach to innovation in the region?
In short – our unwavering commitment to innovation and holistic approach to addressing pharmaceutical challenges. Our success with the Biopharma Innovation of the Year award highlights our ability to integrate advanced technologies with a deep understanding of client needs. This marriage of the technical with the human is what sets us apart. Our extensive expertise in pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical excipients, active ingredients, formulation strategies, dosage formats and more are all ultimately in service of our customers and the patients whose lives they impact every day.
6. Sustainability and eco-conscious operations are gaining traction in the pharmaceutical space. How is Roquette incorporating sustainability into its biopharma development and operations?
Sustainability is a core focus. We are committed to enhancing the sustainability of our operations by reducing our environmental footprint and incorporating eco-conscious practices into our biopharma development processes. Our new sustainable development approach centers around three key pillars: PRESERVE the planet, INVENT for the future and CARE for people. Under each of these themes, we have set specific commitments, performance indicators, and targets to ensure we stay on track and accountable. Concretely, we are aiming to reduce our direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions[1] by 25% before 2030 and have committed more than €350 million to fund decarbonization projects over the next 5 years. Our digital sustainability platform life+nature by Roquette is a perfect example of our environmental engagement. It is our overall sustainability hub, housing information about all our commitments and initiatives, the progress we are making towards our goals and authentic stories driven by our teams around the world.
7. What are Roquette’s long-term goals for its biopharmaceutical offering, and how does this award reflect those ambitions?
In the coming years, our priorities focus on driving innovation, advancing sustainability, strengthening collaborations, and expanding global reach. This award reflects our dedication to these goals and validates the impact our innovative solutions make on the biopharma sector across Asia and around the world. It is also a ringing endorsement of the work carried out at our global biopharma center of excellence in Singapore – run by a team of experienced scientists with a breadth of expertise in biopharmaceutical processes. Equipped with the facilities to support upstream and downstream processes, formulation and stability studies and biomolecule characterizations, this specialized lab allows us to mirror the processes and workflows seen across the industry, including scaled down vaccine development models to better understand our partners’ processes and challenges, and be a more effective collaborator in bioprocessing and formulation development. Now with the success of KLEPTOSE® Biopharma as a blueprint, the Innovation Center team can look ahead to new research projects, all with the goal of giving drug manufacturers the tools they need to formulate better biologics.
8. Looking ahead, what innovations or technologies is Roquette focusing on to further enhance its portfolio in the biopharma sector and meet future needs in the Asia-Pacific healthcare landscape?
The needs of customers, patients and consumers worldwide never stop evolving, so neither do we. At Roquette, we are committed to driving innovation and advancing sustainability in the biopharma space for the good of current and future generations. Our focus will remain on developing cutting-edge solutions like KLEPTOSE® Biopharma that help tackle the toughest challenges in drug delivery. What’s more, we will continue expanding our global presence and collaboration network to ensure we can deliver essential ingredients wherever they’re needed and meet the ever-developing needs of the biopharma industry.
Author
Dr. Vinod Tuliani
Roquette
Dr. Vinod Tuliani, VP & Head of Global Pharmaceutical Sciences, Roquette.
