Germany-based Hermes Pharma, a leading expert in user-friendly oral dosage forms, has announced it will invest €25 million to further bolster its manufacturing capabilities. The investment will arm the company with new equipment, increased production and storage capacity, and greater operational efficiency to meet the rapidly growing market demand for user-friendly oral dosage forms. As a result, Hermes Pharma will be able to further drive future growth, while helping new and existing customers to realise theirs.

The pharmaceutical industry has long seen traditional tablets and capsules as the “gold standard” of oral dosage forms. However, around 50% of people struggle to take them. Consequently, demand for easy-to-swallow oral dosage forms, such as orally disintegrating granules (ODGs), chewable tablets, lozenges, instant drinks, and effervescents, is soaring, with healthcare companies seeking to add them to their portfolios.

For more than 20 years, Hermes Pharma has specialised in developing and manufacturing user-friendly oral dosage forms, with services covering the entire value chain – from new product development through to manufacturing, clinical studies, and regulatory support. To address the rapidly growing demand for these dosage forms, Hermes Pharma will invest €25 million in its specialist manufacturing plants, powering the company’s growth while unlocking greater scale, flexibility, and cost-efficiency for customers

More specifically, the investment will add new, large-volume coating equipment to support growing need for advanced taste-masking; new filling and packaging lines for ODGs and instant drinks; expanded Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) manufacturing space; greater GMP storage capacity; and optimised flow of inventory/goods on the shop floor

“As pharmaceutical companies race to find ways to better serve patients and differentiate themselves in a competitive market, we’re seeing unprecedented demand for more patient-centric products,” said Dr Andreas Ulrich, COO of Hermes Pharma. “Our latest investment will help us meet that demand, delivering ever greater service for our customers, while also helping us serve new customers across different market segments. We look forward to getting new and improved user-friendly dosage forms to patients quickly and more efficiently than ever before.”