Remember the effects of dripping water into stones? That’s probably what’s happening with bio-succinic acid as it slowly chips away potential markets despite the slowdown in blockbuster applications such as PBS and 1,4 BDO.

BioAmber announced today the launch of its BIO-SA™ pharmaceutical grade material that provides a USP/NF and FCC Grade of bio-succinic acid manufactured under the United States Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) good manufacturing practices (GMP) for food and Excipients. The United States Pharmacopeia (USP), the National Formulary (NF), and the Food Chemicals Codex (FCC) are the public pharmacopeia standards for medicines, food ingredients, dietary supplement products, and ingredients.

These standards are used by regulatory agencies and manufacturers to ensure products are of the appropriate identity, strength, quality, purity and consistency.

The new grade will allow BioAmber to supply these high-value industries with commercial volumes of an FDA regulated bio-succinic acid, a grade previously unavailable to these markets before today.

Here’s an example of pharma-grade succinic acid-based drug which I, unfortunately, had to use when I was hospitalized in December.