Our Vision
Polyoxazolines –
The Key to a Variety of Innovative Pharma Polymers
Currently, there is only a limited number of approved pharmaceutical excipients available—an essential bottleneck for the development of innovative drug formulations.
Polyoxazolines are excellently suited as pharmaceutical excipients because they are chemically versatile, water-soluble, and biocompatible. Compared to other conventional excipients, they offer greater molecular flexibility and better control over solubility, stability, and drug release. This opens up the possibility of formulating drugs with improved properties, thus creating new therapeutic options.
However, the approval of new excipients is complex and time-consuming, as extensive data on quality, safety, and functionality are required to meet the high regulatory requirements. At NGP Polymers, we rethink the approval process and consider regulatory requirements already in the development phase by:
- Preparing relevant monographs
- Adhering to our certified quality management system
- Developing robust analytical methods
- Consistently complying with the high-quality standards of the pharmaceutical industry
You have the PEG dilemma? We have the solution!
Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) has been a staple of drug development for decades and is considered the “gold standard” when it comes to improving the water solubility and stability of active ingredients. Worldwide, PEG-containing formulations are accepted by regulatory authorities, and their safety and clinical experience are comprehensively documented.
Nevertheless, PEG is increasingly coming into focus—not only because of the so-called “PEG dilemma,” where prolonged circulation time in the blood can reduce uptake into target cells but also because in rare cases, allergies or hypersensitivity reactions to PEG have been observed.
Poly(oxazolines) (POx) present an innovative and versatile alternative to PEG. They are characterized by a low risk of immune reactions and can be more precisely tailored to the properties of a specific drug due to their diverse functionalizability. This supports efficient and sustainable biodistribution as well as precise control of drug release. With the combination of lower immunogenicity, high chemical flexibility, stability, and biocompatibility, polyoxazolines are an attractive alternative to PEG in vaccine formulations. They can help enhance the safety and efficacy of future vaccines and minimize allergic risks..
Further Information:
- Schubert et al. “Poly(ethylene glycol) in Drug Delivery: Pros and Cons as Well as Potential Alternatives”, Angewandte Chemie, 2010, 49, 6288-6308. Link
- Schubert et al. “Poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) (POx) as Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-Lipid Substitute for Lipid Nanoparticle Formulations”, Small, 2025, 21, 16, 2411354. Link
- Schubert et al. “Site-specific POxylation of interleukin-4”, ACS Biomater. Sci. Eng., 2017, 3, 3, 304-312. Link