Rousselot joins International Pharmaceutical Excipient Council

14 Jul 2017 --- Rousselot, the leading global producer of gelatin for the pharmaceutical, food and nutrition industries, has joined the International Pharmaceutical Excipient Council (IPEC). Rousselot is the first gelatin manufacturer to join IPEC. The membership will allow the company to strengthen its commitment to ensuring the highest quality, safety and functionality of pharmaceutical excipients.

Gelatin has been the excipient of choice in the pharmaceutical industries for years. With increasing demand for clean label products being sourced from nature, the high importance of operational effectiveness and stringent regulatory pressures, Rousselot says gelatin is the future-proof excipient to meet current and future pharmaceutical industry challenges.

Speaking to NutritionInsight on the latest trends and innovations within the dietary supplement space, Caroline Brochard-Garnier, Communications Manager at Rousselot, says, “With consumers demanding simpler, shorter product labels, there is a mounting pressure for manufacturers to reformulate without artificial additives, such as E-numbers and preservatives, in favor of natural ingredients and transparent labels. To meet this growing need, food supplement producers continue to innovate with the latest technologies and ingredients to create entire products that comply with clean label positioning.” 

“Capsules provide an easy and effective way to deliver clean label supplements. Gelatin, like Rousselot’s, is the most popular excipient used in the manufacture of soft gel capsules. Although alternatives to gelatin, such as carrageenan, are sometimes used for manufacturing modified starch soft gels, they are not clean label. Derived from natural and sustainable sources, gelatin is a clean label ingredient with no E-number and is therefore not considered a food additive. Fully digestible, gelatin contains 18 amino acids, nine of which are vital to the human body. Along with these added benefits, gelatin capsules enable manufacturers to confidently comply with clean label requirements,” Brochard-Garnier notes, emphasizing that not only dosage delivery forms, but of course also the ingredients must to be clean label to create a complete positioning. 

“Soft gel applications have become increasingly popular across the dietary supplement market, recording an annual growth of 5.4 percent. Due to their taste masking capabilities and smooth texture, soft gels are greatly accepted by consumers and manufacturers across the world,” Brochard-Garnier continues.

The IPEC membership will provide Rousselot with the opportunity to contribute to the development of future quality guidelines and regulatory standards for the use of gelatin in pharmaceutical excipients, and it will give Rousselot access to a unique network of international experts with the same interests and goals, the company reports.

“We are very enthusiastic about the opportunities that our representation in the IPEC committee opens up. Compliance and regulatory foresight are essential for our operations, as our worldwide teams continue to keep abreast of both local and global environments. Through our IPEC Europe membership, we see an opportunity to be kept informed of future quality standards and regulatory developments as well as increase our collaboration with the excipient community. This will also enable us to better meet the needs of our customers and ensure we continue to offer safe, efficient and proven gelatin products and services to the pharmaceutical industry,” comments Joel D’Silva, Director Global Regulatory Affairs at Rousselot.