According to the terms of the contract, Croda will purchase a licence from Amyris to market, distribute, and sell squalene either as an excipient or as an ingredient in formulated products

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Croda will use the adjuvant in human and veterinary vaccines, drug delivery systems, or nucleic acid delivery systems. (Credit: CDC on Unsplash)

Synthetic biotechnology company Amyris has inked a license agreement for the supply of sustainable squalene with British speciality chemicals company Croda International.

Amyris’ squalene is said to be a biofermentation-based adjuvant. It is developed using the firm’s Lab-to-Market technology platform.

Squalene is used in adjuvants to boost immune responses and is usually derived from shark liver.

According to the synthetic biotechnology company, its sugarcane-derived, sustainable squalene is molecularly identical to the traditional shark source. It is claimed to offer more purity and a predictable cost profile in comparison to sharks’ squalene.

Amyris president and CEO John Melo said: “This agreement is a continuation of our successful strategy to develop, scale and make the world’s best-performing molecules from clean, sustainable chemistry.

“We have seen the impact and market desire for sustainable ingredients in beauty, health and wellness markets. With Croda’s partnership we believe we can have a similar impact on the vaccine market with our squalene.”

According to the terms of the contract, Croda will purchase a licence from Amyris to market, distribute, and sell squalene either as an excipient or as an ingredient in formulated products.

The speciality chemicals company will use the adjuvant in human and veterinary vaccines, drug delivery systems, or nucleic acid delivery systems.

Croda will speed up the commercialisation of the finished packaged squalene products by utilising its expertise in good manufacturing practices for the pharmaceutical business.

In addition to an initial $4m upfront payment and a $4m performance-based milestone payment, Amyris will get a cut of the profits from the sale of squalene excipients and products that use its squalene technology for use in the vaccine industry.

Croda life sciences president Daniele Piergentili said: “Our partnership with Amyris is fully aligned with Croda’s commitment to be the most sustainable supplier of innovative ingredients across our growth markets and with our pharmaceutical strategy to Empower Biologics Delivery.

“Our ambition is to be able to offer vaccine developers the most appropriate adjuvant systems to maximise the efficacy of their antigen.”