Evonik, Higuchi Announce New Joint Laboratory

Evonik Industries AG and Higuchi Inc., a Japanese pharmaceutical trading company, will open a joint laboratory in Yokohama, Japan, aimed at supporting drug formulators working on oral solid-dosage products.

The facility, called the Open Pharma Lab, is scheduled to open May 1, 2026, and will give local formulators access to Evonik’s EUDRAGIT polymer excipients and related formulation support. The opening expands Evonik’s regional innovation footprint in Asia as demand rises for oral dosage forms designed around patient use and controlled drug release.

Guido Skudlarek, head of Evonik’s Health Care business line, said the lab is intended to help Japanese customers with formulation development using EUDRAGIT-based systems.

EUDRAGIT is a family of methacrylate-based polymer excipients used in oral drug delivery, including enteric and controlled-release applications. Evonik said its offering combines materials supply with formulation and application support for pharmaceutical developers.

The Yokohama lab will provide collaborative formulation support and technical services tailored to customer projects, drawing on Evonik’s global drug-delivery expertise. The companies said the facility is designed to make Evonik’s excipient technology and support services more accessible to formulators in Japan.