R.P. Scherer: Encapsulating A Market For 65 Years

In 1933 at the age of 23 Robert Pauli Scherer decided to find a better way to deliver oral medication. As a result, he invented rotary die technology for the manufacture and encapsulation of oils in soft gelatin capsules and founded R.P. Scherer, headquartered in Detroit, MI. Sixty-five years later, the company, which is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Cardinal Health located in St. Petersburg, FL, has become a worldwide player in the nutritional supplement market.

R.P. Scherer made its entrance into the dietary supplement market by encapsulating vitamin E and fish oils in a softgel for the first time. According to David Heyens, president, R.P. Scherer North America, this was when the company really started to apply significant efforts toward the dietary supplement market. Today the company offers an extensive line of products in soft gels ranging from simple oils to the most complex of blends. This includes vitamins E, A and D, multivitamin-mineral formulas, carotenoids, essential fatty acids, specialty supplements (chondroitin, glucosamine, CoQ10) and herbs and botanicals.

In recent development is the company’s newest product offering, a vegetarian capsule. “This is an animal-free, vegetarian-based capsule and it is important to the current marketplace because religious groups, vegetarians and consumers of dietary supplements want the purest product they can buy,” said Mr. Heyens. “Our research indicates that this is an unmet need within the dietary supplement market in North America and based upon this we have invested significantly in the technology and are looking forward to working with marketing companies to bring this technology to market in the coming year.”

In terms of formulation, R.P. Scherer’s involvement can begin as early as formula conception. Working with R.P. Scherer’s R&D specialists, customers can receive early guidance on ingredient compatibility, capsule size and shape recommendations. Formulation development can continue on through production experimentation at the company’s pilot plant facility. Here, specialists can run a small batch of product to evaluate performance under full-scale production conditions. R.P. Scherer also provides pre-market samples for stability studies and customer presentations.

Quality is also paramount at R.P. Scherer. Since the passage of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA), the question of quality and integrity of nutritional products has become a focus. Although not a requirement, R.P. Scherer can provide process validation for nutritional formulas to demonstrate complete control over the product’s manufacture. The company’s quality control specialists have prepared validation protocols providing appropriate detail for a dietary supplement without driving up the cost of full pharmaceutical validation. Additionally, R.P. Scherer also provides analytical method development, microbiological, heavy metal and pesticide testing and stability services.

Right now, said Mr. Heyens, the industry is in a weakened stage from where it was several years ago. “Consumers are still purchasing basic vitamin and mineral supplements and there are some new products that have come to market that are recognized as very credible,” he said. “However, the fad products that were hitting the market several years ago have not sustained themselves and this has caused a downturn in the overall dietary supplement industry.” For the future, said Mr. Heyens, R.P. Scherer as a company will continue to focus its resources on developing new technology and high quality products.—R.M.



R.P. Scherer North America
2725 Scherer Dr.
St. Petersburg, FL 33716
Telephone: 707-803-2100
Fax: 707-803-1632
E-mail: sharlene.feingold@
rpscherer.com
Website: www.rpscherer.com