Excipients at AAPS 2025: Comprehensive Overview of Innovation in Formulation and Drug Delivery

The AAPS Annual Meeting 2025 is happening November 9-12, 2025, at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, TX 

The event positions excipients at the heart of formulation science. Across oral solid dosage forms, biologics, and advanced delivery systems, leading manufacturers showcase excipient technologies that enhance solubility, stability, manufacturability, and patient experience.

From cyclodextrin-based solubilization and enteric capsule systems to AI-driven formulation tools and sustainable coating materials, this year’s AAPS provides a panoramic view of excipient innovation.

Below is a company-by-company summary of all excipient-related topics presented during AAPS 2025.

Asahi Kasei

Asahi Kasei highlights nitrosamine mitigation — one of the most discussed safety concerns in formulation development right now.
Their presentation,
“Nitrosamine Risk Mitigation Using Low-Nitrite MCC” explores how low-nitrite microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) can play a critical role in reducing nitrosamine formation risks without compromising performance.
Session: 360 Stage #1 — Tue Nov 11, 10:30 AM CT

Ashland

Ashland demonstrates the versatility of cyclodextrins and permeation enhancers in enabling complex drug delivery:

• Brexanolone Inclusion Complexes with HP/SBE-β-CD — emphasizing solubility and stability enhancement using hydroxypropyl and sulfobutylether-β-cyclodextrins.
• Oral Delivery of Biologic Drugs with Permeation Enhancers — showcasing excipient-enabled solutions to improve oral bioavailability of large molecules.

Sessions: Poster Forum — Mon Nov 10, 1:30 PM and Tue Nov 11, 12:30 PM

BASF

BASF presents multiple data-driven approaches to formulation design and scale-up:

• Copovidone ASD Innovation from Lab to Commercial Scale — highlighting the journey from amorphous solid dispersion development to full-scale manufacturing using copovidone.
• Data-Driven Formulation of SODFs Using ZoomLab™ — illustrating digitalization in excipient selection and formulation prediction.

Sessions: 360 Stage #4 — Mon Nov 10, 12:30 PM; Poster Forum — Wed Nov 12, 11:30 AM

Croda

Croda showcases its expertise in high-purity excipients and lipids, focusing on their role in advanced drug deliverysystems such as mRNA and lipid nanoparticle formulations:
“High Purity Excipients and Lipids in Advanced Drug Delivery”
Session: 360 Stage #3 — Tue Nov 11, 10:30 AM

Evonik

Evonik presents a series of posters around EUDRAGIT® polymers, reinforcing their leadership in controlled release and solubility enhancement:

• Solubility Enhancement Using Anionic Poly(meth)Acrylate SDs
• DDS for Enteric Resistance and pH-Triggered Release
• Miniaturized Tool for Solubility Enhancement Screening
• Alcohol-Resistant Multiparticulates (EUDRAGIT® NM 30 D)

Sessions: Poster Forum — Mon Nov 10, 2:30 PM; Tue Nov 11, 10:30 AM & 11:30 AM; Wed Nov 12, 11:30 AM

Capsugel Lonza

The Capsugel Lonza experts present a total of eight posters exploring capsule performance, formulation science, and oral drug delivery advancements:

• Assessment of Antioxidant to Prevent Degradation in Moisture-Sensitive Tablets; Forum 9 – Screen 60
• Enhancing Capsule Swallowability via Double-Layer Design for Superior Glide in Wet Conditions; Forum 8 – Screen 50;
• Powder Rheology for Batch Comparison During Manufacturing; Forum 2 – Screen 09
• Improving Oral Bioavailability of Therapeutic Peptides with Lipid-Based Formulations and Ready-to-Use Enteric Capsules; Forum 6 – Screen 38
• Assessing Gastric Emptying of Gastro-Resistant Capsules in Pigs: Impact of Capsule Size; Forum 7 – Screen 44
• The Influence of Different HPMCAS Grades for Preparation of Enteric Capsules Investigated by MRI in Human Volunteers Forum 7 – Screens 42
• Highlighting the Critical Role of Capsule Selection in Capsule Dry Powder Inhalation Aerosol Performances; Forum 7 – Screen 44
• Design of Site-Specific Enteric Capsule for Terminal Ileal Drug Delivery; Forum 9 – Screen 55

Sessions:  Mon Nov 10 to Wed Nov 12

Three examples:

 

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Lubrizol

Lubrizol emphasizes its broad excipient technology portfolio in
“Enabling Drug Development with Innovative Excipient Technologies”,
illustrating how multifunctional polymers and solubilizers can enhance bioavailability and stability.
Session: 360 Stage #3 — Mon Nov 10, 3:00 PM

Pfanstiehl

Pfanstiehl focuses on excipient purity and stability, presenting:
“Trace Metal-Induced Polysorbate Degradation Mitigation”,
a detailed investigation into mitigating oxidation and hydrolysis of polysorbates through trace metal control.
Session: Spotlight Stage C — Mon Nov 10, 11:15 AM

Roquette

Through 14 cutting-edge posters and four presentations, Roquette will demonstrate how its expanded portfolio can support the formulation and manufacturing of a range of advanced drug delivery formats.

Poster highlights include:

• “Improving Stability and Sustainability of an Auto-Oxidative Excipient, Polyethylene Oxide, with Foil-Lined Packaging.” Monday, Nov. 10, 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. CET. Jason Hunt, Global Strategic Marketing Manager, will reveal how a foil-lined pouch-in-a-box packaging system contributes to sustainability initiatives.
• “Formulation of Acetaminophen Chewable Tablets Using Carrageenan.” Tuesday, Nov. 11, 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. CET. Nasrin Mahmoudi, Ph.D., Senior Lead Applications Scientist, will present the impact of carrageenan’s water gel strength on tablet properties.
• “A Novel Plant-Based Orally Disintegrating Films Platform Using Hydroxypropyl β-Cyclodextrin for Pharmaceutical Product Development of Poorly Soluble Drugs.” Wednesday, Nov. 12, 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. CET. Mohammad Nammas, R&D Scientist, will showcase how hydroxypropyl β-cyclodextrin can help manufacturers tackle solubility issues.

Presentations at the 360 Stages include:

• “Sustainability by Design: Excipient Innovation for Resource-Efficient Formulation.” Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. CET on 360 Stage #2, presented by Lily Lin, Ph.D., Senior Applications Scientist.
• “Next-Gen Coatings: Merging Sustainability with Superior Performance.” Tuesday, Nov. 11, 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. CET on 360 Stage #1, presented by Peter Freed, Ph.D., Head of Global Pharma Customer Technical Support.

See the overview video on Roquette´s poster presentations:

Shin-Etsu

Shin-Etsu presents advancements in cellulosic excipients:

• Low-Substituted Hydroxypropyl Cellulose: A Dual Binder–Disintegrant in Twin-Screw Wet Granulation
  Date: Monday, November 10, 2025
  Time: 2:45 PM – 3:30 PM (CT)
  Location: Spotlight Stage C, Aisle 3800, Exhibit Hall

• Delayed Release Capsule Formulation Using Hydrophilic Matrix Systems — targeting precise release profiles for modified release applications;
  Poster Forum — Wed Nov 12, 10:30 AM

Key Themes at AAPS 2025

Several trends emerge across these excipient-focused presentations:

1. Cyclodextrin Expansion – From solubilization to viral inactivation and viscosity reduction.
2. Capsule Customization – Tailored release and improved swallowability define patient-centric innovation.
3. Digitalization & AI – From BASF’s ZoomLab™ to Colorcon’s HyperStart C2C, formulation design goes data-driven.
4. Sustainability – Pea starch coatings and plant-based film systems showcase greener excipient innovation.
5. Purity & Stability – Control of nitrosamines and polysorbate degradation remains central to quality assurance.

Conclusion

The 2025 AAPS Annual Meeting topics and speeches overview shows that excipients are the enabling backbone of modern pharmaceutical formulation.
From Asahi Kasei’s low-nitrite MCC to Lonza’s site-specific capsules and Roquette’s multifunctional cyclodextrins, innovation continues to redefine what excipients can achieve.

As the industry moves toward personalized, sustainable, and biologics-oriented drug products, excipient science stands as the key connector between discovery and delivery — ensuring that every dose is safe, effective, and patient-friendly.