Sponsored by Cargill

Today’s pharmaceutical manufacturers are navigating a rapidly evolving landscape. Growing regulatory expectations, increasing pressure to secure resilient regional supply chains, and the need for more efficient manufacturing are reshaping how medicines are developed and produced. At the same time, a stronger focus on patient-centric healthcare is driving demand for dosage forms that are easier to administer and support patient compliance, from smaller tablets to more acceptable liquid and chewable formulations.

In this environment, excipients play an increasingly strategic role. Beyond enabling product performance, they help manufacturers improve supply chain reliability, simplify production, support regulatory compliance, and enhance the patient experience.

“As preventative health and self-care continue to grow, excipients will play an increasingly important role in pharma. That’s why Cargill is investing for the long term,” notes Eelco van Oosterbosch, Health & Nutrition Marketing Director at Cargill.

But success here depends on more than just sourcing the right ingredients. It requires a partner who can help simplify complexity, support reducing risk and enable consistent, scalable performance – from development through to commercialization.

As Eelco stresses, Cargill is much more than a supplier of excipients for its’ customers. “We’re bringing together portfolio breadth, regulatory strength and reliable supply to support customers throughout the product development journey,” he adds.

As regulatory expectations rise, supply chains become more vulnerable, and manufacturers seek greater efficiency and patient-centricity, excipients are playing an even more strategic role in product development and commercialization. Cargill’s approach is built around helping our customers reduce complexity, manage risk and achieve reliable performance throughout the product lifecycle.

“In pharma, innovation matters – but reliability matters more. Customers need to know their excipients will be available not just today, but decades from now,” notes Sergio Neves, Innovation Collaboration and Partnerships Advisor at Cargill.

Catherine Boghmans, Senior Application Specialist Specialized Nutrition further notes how every dosage form has different requirements. “Our strength lies in understanding how excipients perform – and helping customers achieve the right balance in their formulation,” she adds.

But as Paula Garcia, Senior Director, R&D - Health & Nutrition Category stresses, Cargill’s role is not to replace formulation teams – it’s to enable them. “Through consistent quality, supply security and ingredient expertise, we help simplify complexity,” she notes.

In pharma, consistency isn’t a goal – it’s a requirement. “For pharmaceutical manufacturers, consistency is everything. Our focus is delivering reproducible, audit-ready quality – batch after batch,” notes Geertrui Haest, Senior Scientific & Regulatory Affairs Specialist.

Cargill is enabling pharma manufacturers to reduce complexity through trusted expertise, reliable supply and innovation in five clear ways:

1. Reliability, supply security and European manufacturing: In an industry increasingly focused on resilience and security of supply, Cargill combines vertically integrated supply chains with a strong European manufacturing network. This enables long-term supply assurance, consistent quality and sourcing confidence for critical pharmaceutical applications.
2. Deep heritage and proven experience: With more than four decades of excipient expertise, Cargill brings the long-term stability and trusted reputation that pharmaceutical companies need when supporting products with lifecycles that often extend for decades.
3. Broad portfolio, selective depth, and functional expertise: Cargill’s portfolio spans polyols, starches, texturizers and lecithins, combining breadth across excipient categories with deep expertise in the functionalities that matter most. Through decades of experience and vertically integrated manufacturing, we help customers optimize key formulation attributes such as direct compression, binding, filling, stabilization, coating, taste, and mouthfeel. This enables manufacturers to simplify supplier management while benefiting from specialized technical support across multiple dosage forms.
4. Practical innovation focused on real-world needs: Cargill focuses on solutions that enhance manufacturing efficiency, support compliance, improve reliability, and create better patient experiences. Developments such as low-EG excipients and direct compression solutions demonstrate our practical approach to innovation.
5. Global regulatory support: Cargill’s understanding of regulatory requirements across international markets helps pharmaceutical manufacturers use its products confidently worldwide, supporting compliance and market access strategies.

Pharmaceutical manufacturers are increasingly looking for partners who can provide more than high-quality excipients alone. They need trusted collaborators that combine dependable supply, technical expertise, regulatory understanding and a broad portfolio to help reduce complexity and support success from development through commercialization.

That’s why they rely on Cargill for “exceptional excipients, enabled by expertise.”

At CPHI 2026 (Milan, October 6-8), visitors to their stand (#1G10) will discover why Cargill is the trusted long-term formulation partner for pharmaceutical manufacturers.

Drawing on more than 40 years of experience in excipients, Cargill combines portfolio breadth, technical expertise, regulatory know-how and supply chain strength to help customers navigate an increasingly complex pharmaceutical landscape.

1. Biffa internal savings data, average saving (January - August 2023)
2. Nisbets internal savings data, average saving (January – September 2023)
3. Compliance365 internal data, average  savings
4. HEINEKEN UK data, Calculations based on SmartDispense® active accounts each year since 2015 with 10 lines
5. Independent test results based on subterranean and ground floor pub cellars of varying sizes
6. Independent test results based on subterranean and ground floor pub cellars of varying sizes