CODIS: A New Era in Pharma Innovation

Innovation in pharma rarely begins in the lab where molecules are born. Instead, it starts in the hidden science of materials that make those molecules viable, stable, and effective. That quiet layer of expertise determines whether a drug dissolves correctly, a supplement tastes pleasant, or a therapy ever reaches the market. In a crowded, fast-moving industry, mastery of this unseen science is what separates leaders from followers and ultimately defines which products succeed with patients.

For more than four decades, Particle Dynamics has been the industry’s quiet force powering how medicines, supplements, and health products perform in patients’ hands. The company was never one to seek the spotlight, preferring instead to work behind the scenes as a trusted partner to pharmaceutical giants, consumer health leaders, and nutraceutical innovators.

However, times change, and with its transformation into Codis, the organization has stepped decisively into the global spotlight, with a sharpened identity, an expanded footprint, and broader ambitions. The rebrand represents the culmination of decades of evolution and the launchpad for a new era.

It embodies continuity of expertise while embracing the role of a global leader in integrated solid dose technologies.

A Legacy Reimagined

Codis’s story begins with a philosophy that great products are built on great materials. For years, the company specialized in particle processing and delivery technologies, focusing on how to enhance solubility, stability, and bioavailability, the kind of behind-the-scenes innovations that determine whether a pill dissolves properly, a supplement tastes pleasant, or a formulation makes it to market on time.

For much of its history, Particle Dynamics maintained a relatively modest profile, despite serving some of the most prominent names in the industry. Its customers often knew it as a partner that delivered quietly, reliably, and with deep technical knowledge.

What has changed in recent years is the scale of its ambition. With new investment, a broader international footprint, and a renewed desire to showcase its capabilities, the company has embraced a new identity. Codis represents continuity and a declaration of intent to lead globally in integrated solid dose technologies.

Mark Bolling, vice president of sales and marketing, explains the motivation clearly. “We take functionally superior materials and enable products to perform even better,” he says.

The simplicity of that statement belies the complexity of what Codis does, but it captures the essence of the company’s role in transforming material science into real-world performance.

Beyond Powder Production

Spray drying may sound technical, but its impact is grounded and tangible. The process transforms liquid formulations into stable, uniform powders, creating the foundations for countless medicines and supplements. Codis has long been a powerhouse in this field, anchored by its GMP-compliant, FDA-inspected facility in Seymour, Indiana. Over the past five years, the site has undergone significant investment, enabling it to produce more than 150 metric tons annually.

The recent acquisition of EuroAPI’s Haverhill facility in the UK has elevated Codis to a new level. With two of the largest spray dryers in Europe, the site expands capacity dramatically and gives Codis a transatlantic presence. This allows the company to serve markets in the EU, the Middle East, North Africa, and Asia, while maintaining Seymour as the cornerstone of its North American operations. The dual presence ensures flexibility, resilience in supply chains, and the ability to scale globally.

“Spray drying’s applications extend well beyond powder production,” says Bolling. “We use the technology for taste masking, improving mouthfeel, enhancing dissolution, and increasing bioavailability.”

These improvements accelerate formulation development and can make the difference between a successful launch and a stalled project. Codis also applies its own patented calcium and magnesium carbonates across excipients, vitamins, and minerals, extending the technology’s reach into both pharmaceutical and OTC products.

Ensuring Stability and Quality

But powders are only one part of the equation. For products to succeed, stability and patient experience must also be assured, and this is where Codis’s other capabilities set it apart. 

Unlike solvent-based approaches, Codis’s solvent-free process delivers clean, stable results with coatings that resist rupture during processing. This enables superior taste and odor masking, controlled release, and better integration of flavor attributes that are crucial in chewable multivitamins, pediatric formulations, and functional foods like nutrition bars, products that directly influence loyalty, with microencapsulation offering a tangible advantage as well.

The company’s advanced granulation capabilities add precision at scale. At its St. Louis facility, aqueous-based, high-shear, continuous granulation systems deliver consistent particle sizing and minimize lot-to-lot variation. This ensures that clients receive the uniformity needed for regulatory compliance and patient safety.

Iron deficiency technologies form another cornerstone. Codis produces a range of compounds, from ferrous fumarate to polysaccharide iron complex, with tight control over particle size and morphology. Low levels of lead and heavy metals, combined with microencapsulation for stability, ensure the product’s quality. The company distributes these products globally, reinforcing its reputation as a leader in iron-based supplements.

Finally, Codis offers capabilities for finished dosage forms, including tablet compression, coating, encapsulation, and packaging. This integration lets clients move from raw materials to finished products with ease, supported by Codis’s Product and Process Innovation Center, which guides formulation, scale-up, regulatory filing, and lifecycle management. Few organizations offer such a seamless, end-to-end model, a clear differentiator for Codis in a crowded CDMO landscape.

Invested in the Clients’ Long-Term Success 

What makes these capabilities more than technical jargon is the real-world products they bring to market. Perrigo, a global leader in over-the-counter health products, has partnered with Codis for years on ibuprofen chewable tablets. Using Codis’s microencapsulation technology, Perrigo developed a robust and palatable formulation that has achieved sustained success in the marketplace.

In Canada, BioSyent relies on CODIS’s polysaccharide iron complex for its product FeraMAX, a leading iron supplement marketed to both consumers and healthcare professionals. The partnership demonstrates Codis’s dual strengths: helping partners build trusted brands and its culture of collaboration. 

Many clients have worked with the company for over two decades, drawn to its technical expertise, responsiveness, and willingness to adapt. Codis does not view itself as a supplier but as a partner, invested in the long-term success of its clients’ products.

The Foundation for Growth Strategy

Rebranding as Codis has come at a pivotal moment. The pharmaceutical and consumer health industries are undergoing rapid transformation. Companies must bring products to market faster, navigate increasingly complex regulatory environments, and deliver improved patient experiences. In this landscape, a partner that can integrate technologies, scale globally, and maintain impeccable quality becomes indispensable.

Codis articulates its vision as becoming the global leader in integrated solid dose technologies, with an emphasis on positive patient impact. Achieving this requires more than technology; it requires operational excellence, compliance, and trust. Codis practices Quality by Design principles, ensuring that regulatory compliance, reliability, and consistency are built in from the start rather than retrofitted later.

The company’s three pillars of differentiation, namely its breadth of offering, depth of capability, and uncompromising quality, provide the foundation for its growth strategy. With facilities in St. Louis, Seymour, and Haverhill, Codis now has the global footprint to match its ambition.

Engineering Materials, Enabling Medicines

The road ahead is shaped by three growth vectors: consumer health, nutritional supplements, and pharmaceutical partnerships. In consumer health, Codis collaborates with leaders such as Bayer, Haleon, and Prestige, bringing expertise to products that reach millions worldwide. In the field of nutrition, the company continues to expand its role in vitamins and minerals, applying technologies like microencapsulation to enhance taste, stability, and bioavailability. On the pharmaceutical side, Codis collaborates with giants such as Viatris and Bioscience, leveraging spray drying and granulation to enhance complex molecules.

The Haverhill acquisition, in particular, expands aqueous spray drying capacity, opening new opportunities for drug development requiring advanced solubility and stability. Combined with its U.S. strongholds, Codis is now positioned to bridge regional markets with global capacity.

While a rebrand often risks being seen as cosmetic, Codis’s transition is substantive. The name signals a unification of identity across sites and markets, an assertion that the company is more than a collection of capabilities. Its unveiling at CPHI showed a company ready to stand on the world stage with one identity and one vision. Codis’s new logo and voice shed light on a simple truth: the company has long been a leader in pharmaceutical particle processing, now ready to meet the demands of an evolving industry.

Confidence. Clarity. Ambition.

For clients, the message is straightforward. Codis is not starting over, but building on decades of trust, expertise, and collaboration. Its expanded footprint, reinforced by global spray drying leadership, represents an evolution rather than a departure. The company remains committed to the values that shaped its history while equipping itself for the challenges of tomorrow.

Codis’s journey has always been about more than technologies or facilities; it is about enabling what comes next in healthcare. With its expanded global footprint and sharpened identity, the company is no longer content to remain the industry’s quiet partner. It now stands openly for what it has long practiced, making the invisible science of particles the engine of better medicines, better supplements, and better outcomes.

The next chapter of Codis is not about reintroducing itself, but about redefining how innovation reaches the world.

For more information: ParticleDynamics.com or Codis.com