ten23 health and dsm firmenich Partner to Expand Excipient Choices for Injectable Biologics
ten23 health and dsm-firmenich have commenced a scientific collaboration to evaluate pharmaceutical-grade ingredients as potential excipients, seeking new materials to address the challenges of formulation stability and manufacturability for parenteral biologic drugs.
ten23 health has announced a research collaboration with dsm firmenich to expand the limited pool of excipients suitable for parenteral biologic medicines. The partnership will combine ten23 health’s sterile product formulation and analytical expertise with dsm firmenich’s ingredient science, quality systems and regulatory knowledge to identify excipients that can improve stability and manufacturability for complex protein therapies (1).
As biologic therapies grow more structurally and chemically complex, formulation scientists face increasing challenges to stabilize molecules and design products that are robust enough for manufacturing - yet remain safe for patients. The challenge is compounded by the relatively small set of excipients approved and validated for injectable use, which currently limits the formulation choices for developers.
Under the collaboration, research teams from both companies will follow a structured scientific program that includes proof of concept studies, benchmarking against established excipients and evaluation of candidates in representative protein formulations using advanced analytical methods. Early screening has already flagged several promising pharmaceutical grade ingredients, which are now undergoing further verification and characterization.
"Our approach has been to identify promising ingredients based on their safety profiles, regulatory acceptance, and suitability for biologic formulations," said Prof. Dr. Andrea Allmendinger, Chief Scientific Officer at ten23 health. "Following proof-of-concept studies and advanced analytical evaluation in representative protein formulations, we have generated promising initial data, which is now being further verified (1)."
The parenteral excipient market remains focused on a limited set of functional classes, including buffers, tonicity agents, stabilizers, solubilizing agents, surfactants, antioxidants and preservatives - all of which play important roles in maintaining stability, compatibility and usability in injectable medicines. In this context, the ten23 health and dsm firmenich collaboration aims to broaden the formulation toolbox available to developers.
If validated, the new excipients could expand formulation flexibility for manufacturers and developers by improving long-term stability, helping reduce aggregation and degradation, and smoothing scale-up in manufacturing processes. The partnership also highlights how broader excipient options may support more patient-centered product designs and help accelerate biologic drug development.
Reference
ten23. ten23 health expands excipient options for biologic drug development with an external collaboration. Press release, July 15, 2026.