3 Q&A Interview with Dr. Peter Hölig, Head of Business Development, and Dr. Sarah Frühwirth, Product Manager for Scandinavia, from our new MVA-member company, Lipoid

Q1: What is Lipoid's core expertise? Lipoid was founded in 1977 by Dr. Herbert Rebmann with the objective to develop and produce pharmaceutical grade phospholipids. As the global market leader, Lipoid supplies them at industrial scale and supports drug and vaccine product development projects from the R&D to the commercial level. Our natural and nature-identical synthetic phospholipids are derived from plants, such as soy and sunflower, or eggs. These phospholipids are multifunctional excipients with outstanding performance, highest quality and an unrivalled safety profile. Because of these unique properties, they are not only used in pharmaceuticals, but also in health nutrition and cosmetics. Q2: Why has a German company such as Lipoid decided to join Medicon Valley Alliance (MVA)? MVA is a well-known life-science cluster, and we appreciate its unique combination of participants as well as the excellent expertise in the community. When we think of Life Science in Scandinavia, especially in the Copenhagen-Lund area, we always think of innovation. That makes the MVA a perfect fit for us. Lipoid, as a science-driven company, is always interested in promoting and supporting research on phospholipids with a special focus on the development of new and improved dosage forms for pharmaceutical use. We are also a founding member of the independent Phospholipid Research Center in Germany, which connects and supports scientists interested in phospholipids from academia and industry all over the world with the aim of discovering and utilizing the full potential of phospholipids. Q3: How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your business strategy? Lipoid’s natural and synthetic phospholipids play a prominent role in Covid-19 vaccines, e.g. as part of lipid nanoparticles in mRNA vaccines or in carrier systems for adjuvants. In addition, sedatives required for the treatment of severely ill Covid-19 patients are also based on formulations with phospholipids. During the pandemic, Lipoid’s production was able to adapt quickly to the new requirements. Lipoid is constantly broadening its phospholipid portfolio especially for complex dosage forms and so contributes significantly to the commercialization of such.