Pharmaceutical excipients: Production route
From cheese whey and wood pulp to pharma powders
What this tab covers How it is made: the main production routes or, for product families, the main product types and technologies, compared on share of supply, inputs per tonne, plant scale, yield, co-products and unit cost.Excipients are a family of products rather than one process. The big four by volume are lactose, MCC, starch and cellulose ethers, with synthetic polymers and minerals filling special roles. Most are adaptations of food or industrial grades, refined and documented to pharmacopoeia standards. Particle engineering (spray drying, co-processing) adds value, and directly compressible grades command a premium.
Routes compared
| Route | Share of supply | Inputs per tonne | Typical scale | Yield | Co-products | Unit cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lactose (from whey) | about 42% of market value (lactose-based, 2024) | whey permeate with about 5% lactose (indicative) | large dairy-linked plants | not published | mineral-rich mother liquor | not published |
| Microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) | cellulose-based about 15% of value (2024) | about 1.1-1.3 t dissolving pulp per t MCC (indicative) | 5,000-50,000 t/yr plants (indicative) | not published | acid effluent, sugars | not published |
| Starches and sugar alcohols | starches about 10%, mannitol about 8.5% of value (2024) | about 1.5 t maize per t starch (indicative) | large corn refineries (Roquette, ADM) | not published | gluten, fibre, steep liquor | not published |
| Cellulose ethers and synthetic polymers (HPMC, CMC, povidone, methacrylates) | coatings and controlled release; CMC about 6% of value | not published | Shin-Etsu, Ashland, BASF, Evonik plants | not published | salts | higher value per kg |
How each route works
Lactose (from whey)Whey permeate from cheese making is concentrated, lactose crystallised, refined, milled or spray-dried. Grades differ by particle size and whether amorphous or crystalline.
cheap and well known; not for lactose-intolerant or vegan formulations
Statifacts (2025) Microcrystalline cellulose (MCC)High-purity wood or cotton pulp is partially hydrolysed with mineral acid to remove amorphous cellulose, neutralised, washed and spray-dried.
excellent compressibility; spray dryers carry dust explosion risk
Statifacts (2025); indicative Starches and sugar alcoholsMaize or potato starch is wet-milled, purified and sometimes pregelatinised or modified (sodium starch glycolate). Mannitol and sorbitol are made by hydrogenating glucose or fructose.
cheap and plant-based
Statifacts (2025) Cellulose ethers and synthetic polymers (HPMC, CMC, povidone, methacrylates)Cellulose is etherified with methyl chloride and propylene oxide (HPMC) or monochloroacetic acid (CMC); povidone polymerised from N-vinylpyrrolidone; methacrylate copolymers by emulsion polymerisation.
enable coatings and modified release; petrochemical inputs
Statifacts (2025) Unit economics are indicative ranges from the sources named; costs move with feedstock and energy prices, plant size and region.