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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Evonik Industries says
it is expanding its partnership with BioNTech (Mainz, Germany) to increase
supply security for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine and is investing in a
short-term production expansion for specialty lipids, essential for messenger
ribonucleic acid (mRNA) COVID-19 vaccines, reported Chemweek.
The company says that
"commercial lipid quantities" are to be produced at Evonik’s Hanau and
Dossenheim, Germany, sites as early as the second half of 2021. Further details
have not been disclosed.
"The pandemic requires decisive action," says
Christian Kullmann, chairman of Evonik. "We are therefore doing everything
possible to supply our partners with the critical lipids they need. At the same
time, we are expanding our production capacity and competencies along the entire
value chain."
Lipids are fundamental to produce mRNA-based vaccines and
only with an increase in lipid supply can the volume of vaccine be increased,
Evonik notes. In mRNA-based vaccines, the mRNA is enclosed in a lipid
nanoparticle (LNP) that is comprised of specific lipids, it says. The LNP
protects the mRNA and delivers it safely into the cell, where it is released so
that the vaccine can exert its effect, the company says.
It follows a
similar announcement by Merck KGaA, which is expanding its partnership with
BioNTech to accelerate the supply of lipids and increase the amount of lipid
delivery toward the end of 2021.
As MRC informed earlier,
in February, 2020, Dow and Evonik entered into an exclusive technology
partnership. Together, they plan to bring a unique method for directly
synthesizing propylene glycol (PG) from propylene and hydrogen peroxide to
market maturity.
Propylene is the main feedstock for the production of
polypropylene (PP).
According to MRC's ScanPlast report,
PP shipments to the Russian market reached 1 240,000 tonnes in 2020 (calculated
using the formula: production, minus exports, plus imports, exluding producers'
inventories as of 1 January, 2020).
Evonik is one of the world leaders in
specialty chemicals. The focus on more specialty businesses, customer-oriented
innovative prowess and a trustful and performance-oriented corporate culture
form the heart of Evonik’s corporate strategy. They are the lever for profitable
growth and a sustained increase in the value of the company. Evonik benefits
specifically from its customer proximity and leading market positions. Evonik is
active in over 100 countries around the world with more than 36,000
employees. |
