Asahi Kasei Expands in Healthcare with Launch of Sonanos PG/DS New Products

Asahi Kasei announced that it will launch two new specialty-grade products in its Sonanos product lineup. Paid samples are currently available, and products compliant with Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) are planned to be available for sale in 2027.

Asahi Kasei stated that Sonanos can meet the needs of the pharmaceutical industry, with its core strengths being its sustained release and solubilization capabilities. With these abilities, it can not only develop long-acting injectables and formulate poorly water-soluble compounds but also expand the possibilities for treatment solutions by overcoming formulation development challenges.

Image: Asahi Kasei

Since 2020, Asahi Kasei has collaborated with multiple pharmaceutical companies worldwide to conduct over 60 feasibility studies using Sonanos samples.

Based on these collaborative experiences and a profound understanding of the increasingly severe challenges in the industry, the company has launched two new specialized grade products.

Sonanos PG: Optimizing for the sustained release needs of biologics and peptide drugs while supporting patient-friendly delivery methods.

Sonanos DS: Specifically designed to enhance the solubility of poorly water-soluble active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs).

Both new products have been developed with extensive optimization—drawing on the experience of early prototype samples. The core improvements include the ability to encapsulate higher concentrations of active ingredients.

Asahi Kasei plans to supply GMP-compliant products by 2027, which will meet international standards related to pharmaceutical excipients and impurities, a necessary condition for the clinical research and development stage.

Hideyuki Kimura, Senior General Manager of Asahi Kasei's Medical and Health Materials Division, stated: "The launch of Sonanos is an important step for our company in the medical and health field. The expansion of our excipient product lineup enables Asahi Kasei to meet customer needs through innovative key excipient solutions, further enhancing our influence in the pharmaceutical industry."

Moreover, DiveRadGel, a spin-off company under Asahi Kasei, is also promoting the application of Sonanos technology for cancer vaccine development. The vaccine-grade Sonanos DV has entered the GMP production stage to support early clinical trials. This progress fully demonstrates the dual value of the technology platform in both commercial applications and therapeutic fields.