Inhalation-Grade Lactose Monohydrate

Specialty pharmaceutical-grade lactose company (HQ Goch, Germany; joint venture between Fonterra Co-operative Group and FrieslandCampina); the world's largest producer of pharmaceutical-grade lactose for use as a drug excipient in tablets, capsules, and dry powder inhalers. DFE Pharma's lactose (Pharmatose® brand) is used in the vast majority of pharmaceutical tablet and capsule formulations globally — most pills you take contain DFE Pharma lactose as a filler, flow agent, or binder. DFE Pharma's manufacturing combines Fonterra (NZ) lactose raw material expertise with FrieslandCampina (NL) processing capability. The same Fonterra-FrieslandCampina lactose joint venture that makes the excipient in most of the world's pharmaceutical tablets also produces food-grade lactose for infant formula.

German dairy and pharmaceutical excipient company. Through its InhaLac product line, one of two dominant global suppliers of inhalation-grade lactose monohydrate for DPI formulations. Inhalation lactose is a high-value niche — technically demanding particle size engineering from dairy lactose.

Irish food and pharmaceutical ingredients company (ISE/LSE: KYG, HQ Tralee County Kerry; ~€8B revenue); Kerry's pharmaceutical ingredients division produces specialty lactose grades including limited inhalation-grade lactose monohydrate. Kerry is a distant third in inhalation lactose behind Meggle and DFE Pharma — with <10% of the inhalation lactose market — but represents geographic diversification for pharmaceutical manufacturers concerned about dual Meggle/DFE Pharma concentration in Germany/Netherlands. Kerry's inhalation lactose comes from its Irish dairy operations and pharmaceutical lactose processing capabilities.