Asahi Kasei has announced that it will launch two new specialty grades in its Sonanos portfolio. Paid samples are already available, and products manufactured in compliance with Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) are scheduled for sale in 2027.
Asahi Kasei claims that Sonanos addresses the needs of the pharmaceutical industry by enabling sustained release and enhanced solubility—key capabilities that can achieve long-acting injectables, formulate poorly water-soluble compounds, and expand therapeutic possibilities through overcoming formulation challenges.
Since 2020, Asahi Kasei has partnered with global pharmaceutical companies to conduct more than 60 feasibility studies using Sonanos samples.
Based on these collaborations and understanding of rising industry challenges, the company has introduced two new specialty grades: Sonanos PG, optimised for sustained release of biologics and peptides while supporting patient-friendly dosing; and Sonanos DS, designed to enhance solubility of poorly water-soluble active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). Each of the new grades was developed through extensive optimisation, including the ability to encapsulate higher concentrations of active ingredients, based on experience with earlier prototype samples.
The company plans to supply products manufactured in compliance with GMP in 2027, meeting international guidelines for pharmaceutical excipients and impurities, which is necessary for clinical development.
“Sonanos represents a significant step forward for our organization and healthcare focus,” said Hideyuki Kimura, Senior General Manager of Asahi Kasei’s Healthcare Materials Division. “This expanded lineup of our excipient products deepens Asahi Kasei’s role in the pharmaceutical industry through critical excipient offerings that address customer needs in novel ways.”
Sonanos is also advancing through Asahi Kasei’s spin-out venture, DiveRadGel Inc., which applies the technology to cancer vaccine development. The vaccine-grade Sonanos DV has entered GMP production to support early-stage clinical trials—demonstrating the platform’s commercial and therapeutic relevance.
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