Asahi Kasei Receives Prestigious Okochi Memorial Prize for its Microcrystalline Cellulose (MCC) Ceolus UF Grade Used for Excipient in Tablets – Solving Tableting Issues, Improving Content Uniformity, and Achieving Challenging Dosage Form

On March 25, Japanese technology company Asahi Kasei was awarded the prestigious Okochi Memorial Prize, which acknowledges significant contributions to the areas of production engineering, production technology R&D, and the implementation of high-level production methods in Japan. The Okochi Memorial Foundation recognized the contribution of Asahi Kasei’s MCC Ceolus UF grade to solving challenges with poor compactibility and flowability, two pressing formulation issues for pharmaceutical companies in the development and manufacturing of tablets.

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Asahi Kasei's Hideki AMAKAWA - Involved in development of Ceolus in early 2000s.

Made from natural pulp, MCC Ceolus is used as an excipient for pharmaceuticals and nutritional supplements. MCC is primarily applied as a tablet binder, an additive which provides a powder formulation for tablets' compactibility and flowability. High compactibility provides tablets a sufficient hardness to prevent issues such as capping and chipping, while high flowability will contribute to productivity by filling a powder evenly and quickly in the tableting machine. However, achieving the right balance between these two properties in MCC has been a long-term challenge.

Asahi Kasei has developed the Ceolus UF grade, which features high compactibility and flowability with a porous particle shape and fine space inside. This has achieved high tablet productivity and sufficient API uniformity even in low-dose API tablets. It also supports the development of challenging dosage forms such as small tablets, contributing to the supply of tablets that make pharmaceuticals and nutritional supplements easier to take for patients and customers. This achievement has been highly evaluated and led to recognition by the Okochi Memorial Foundation.

“We are very proud to achieve this reward and believe it emphasizes Ceolus’ key role in the pharmaceutical industry and the value we bring to customers worldwide. This recognition adds to our dedication to innovating the tablet industry and continuing to improve end-user experience by solving our customer’s most difficult development challenges,” commented Hideyuki Kimura, Senior General Manager of Asahi Kasei Healthcare Materials Division.