K+S pharmaceutical salt (APISAL®) is produced by a highly developed evaporated salt process and contains no additives.
KASSEL, GERMANY: The Biontech/Pfizer corona vaccine COMIRNATY® is only applicable with the addition of high-purity sodium chloride solution. K+S is one of the largest manufacturers of the pharmaceutical-grade sodium chloride required for this purpose.
“This is further evidence of our important contribution to the system-relevant essential supply of important industries and the health of the population,” said Dr. Burkhard Lohr, chairman, board of executive directors, K+S Aktiengesellschaft. “Particularly the production of active ingredients for the pharmaceutical industry is something many people don't consider when thinking of K+S. Our specialties comprise a wide range of applications not only enriching our lives on a daily basis, but also being vital.”
Vaccine only applicable with sodium chloride
The well-known 0.9 percent infusion solution is an important standard pharmaceutical product in every hospital. The basic ingredient contained is high-purity sodium chloride (NaCl), which is mainly produced by K+S in Germany. For the nationwide administration of the vaccine from Biontech/Pfizer, which is currently being initiated, this product now plays an important role: Prior to injection, the vaccine must first be diluted with 1.8 ml NaCl per dose before it can be administered.
The high-purity sodium chloride contained in the saline solution is the mode of transportation for the vaccine enabling its absorption by the human organism. “Our salt acts as a transportation medium for the active ingredient,” said Holger Bekemeier, head of the industry+customer segment at
K+S. “Therefore, many corona vaccines contain amounts of K+S product. This makes us proud and clearly demonstrates the importance of our products!”
K+S is the world's largest producer of pharmaceutical salt. In Germany, the company produces several 10,000 tonnes of high-purity sodium chloride annually at the Borth salt plant (Wesel district) in North Rhine-Westphalia. High purity sodium chloride is not only used as an infusion solution in hospitals, but also in dialysis and for the production of pharmaceuticals.
Besides high-purity sodium chloride, K+S additionally produces potassium salts of high purity in Germany, which are also used by the pharmaceutical industry for the production of a wide range of medicines. At K+S, the pharmaceutical salt business is part of the Industry+customer segment, in which salts for the chemical and food industries as well as for water softening and animal feed are also globally supplied.
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