HERMES PHARMA

What HERMES PHARMA does

HERMES PHARMA GmbH is a privately held German Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) specializing in user-friendly oral dosage forms, headquartered in Pullach, Germany, with GMP-certified manufacturing facilities in Wolfratshausen, Germany and Wolfsberg, Austria, and 501-1,000 employees. The company was spun out from HERMES Arzneimittel GmbH on July 1, 2021 as a separate legal entity within the Johannes Burges Group and now operates as an independent CDMO serving pharmaceutical companies and nutraceutical/dietary supplement producers globally.

The core product platform spans five differentiated oral dosage forms — effervescent tablets, chewable tablets, orally disintegrating granules, instant drinks, and lozenges — backed by proprietary technologies in taste masking, granulation, flavoring, serialization, and packaging (including a two-step desiccant stopper and child-resistant senior-friendly stick packs). A December 2024 patent on effervescent manufacturing and ongoing BSFZ research excellence recognition indicate active R&D investment. Service modules extend across the full pharmaceutical value chain: project management, R&D, formulation, analytical services, clinical studies, regulatory services, sourcing, manufacturing, quality management, and logistics/order management.

The business model is professional-services B2B revenue under quote-based pricing. Customers are enterprise pharmaceutical and nutraceutical companies seeking co-development, in-licensing, or outsourced manufacturing of user-friendly dosage forms. Go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales supplemented by presence at CPHI Worldwide, Vitafoods Europe, and industry association memberships (DCAT, CHPA). Marketing emphasizes sustainability (EcoVadis Silver Medal in 2019, 2022, 2023, 2025) and patient compliance for the more than 50% of consumers who have difficulty swallowing conventional tablets.

Name

HERMES PHARMA

Legal name

HERMES PHARMA GmbH

Website

https://hermes-pharma.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

HERMES PHARMA is a German specialty CDMO that develops and manufactures user-friendly oral dosage forms — effervescent and chewable tablets, orally disintegrating granules, instant drinks, and lozenges — for global pharmaceutical and nutraceutical companies from GMP facilities in Germany and Austria.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Contract Pharmaceutical Manufacturing

NAICS

Pharmaceutical Preparation Manufacturing (325412)

SIC

Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834)

akta.pro primary industry

Small-Molecule Drug Product (Solid/Oral/Parenteral) CDMO (HLAGABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Drug Substance–Drug Product Integrated CDMO (HLAGABAG), Packaging, Labeling & Serialization (Clinical/Commercial) CDMO (HLAGABAJ), Small-Molecule CMC Documentation & Regulatory Support (DMF/CMC) (HLAGAHAM)

Keywords

• Contract pharmaceutical manufacturing
• Oral dosage form development
• CDMO services
• Effervescent tablet manufacturing
• User-friendly drug delivery

Headquarters

HQ city

Pullach

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Contract Development and Manufacturing (CDMO): HERMES PHARMA operates as a CDMO offering full-service pharmaceutical development and manufacturing under GMP. Revenue is generated through project-based development fees, formulation services, analytical services, clinical studies, regulatory services, and manufacturing of user-friendly oral dosage forms for pharmaceutical and nutraceutical companies.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

HERMES PHARMA is a Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) that develops and manufactures user-friendly oral dosage forms including effervescent tablets, chewable tablets, orally disintegrating granules, instant drinks, and lozenges. The company offers end-to-end services covering the entire pharmaceutical value chain from project management, R&D, formulation development, analytical and clinical studies through regulatory services, sourcing, GMP-certified manufacturing, quality management, and logistics. Its customers are pharmaceutical and nutraceutical companies seeking differentiated, easy-to-swallow drug delivery formats.

Product overview

HERMES PHARMA is a Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) offering a one-stop-shop platform for user-friendly oral dosage forms. The core product portfolio comprises five distinct dosage forms: Orally Disintegrating Granules, Chewable Tablets, Effervescent Tablets, Instant Drinks, and Lozenges, all designed to address swallowing difficulties experienced by over 50% of patients. The company also offers HERMES NutriCaps as a novel capsule-based delivery system for food supplements. These products are supported by integrated service modules including Project Management, R&D, Manufacturing, Regulatory Services, Quality Management, and Supply Chain/Logistics. The portfolio is differentiated by pioneering technologies in Flavoring, Taste Masking, Granulation, and Packaging, with featured product lines focused on Magnesium supplementation and Macrogol-based laxatives. The company operates GMP-certified manufacturing facilities in Germany and Austria, serving pharmaceutical and healthcare companies globally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HERMES NutriCaps: A novel and innovative way to deliver food supplements, launched at Vitafoods Europe 2019. Finalist for the NutraIngredients Awards 2019 in the category 'Editors Award for Functional Food Innovation'.

Products and services

• Effervescent Tablets Tablets that dissolve in water to create a pleasant-tasting drink, capable of delivering large quantities or multiple APIs in a single dose, for pharmaceutical and nutraceutical companies.
• Orally Disintegrating Granules

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 50% of people have difficulties swallowing conventional tablets and capsules
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Drug, Chemical & Associated Technologies Association (DCAT)minorOthers · 21 February 2020Industry membership organization with 500+ global corporate members in pharmaceutical development and manufacturing. HERMES PHARMA joined to expand network of industry partners and drive innovation in user-friendly dosage forms.
• INNOJET Herbert Hüttlin, RCPE, and Karl Franzens UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 September 2012Research partnership for developing new taste-masking technologies and approaches to increase patient compliance and improve production processes for user-friendly pharmaceuticals. Focus on odor and taste technologies for dosage forms that dissolve in the mouth.
• Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA)minorOthers · 6 October 2011US industry association for consumer healthcare products. HERMES PHARMA joined to support commitment to making medicines more user-friendly in the US market.
• Oxford PharmascienceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to license and develop a range of OXP zero ibuprofen products using HERMES PHARMA's user-friendly dosage form expertise. Heads of Terms signed for collaboration.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Aenova: German-headquartered CDMO offering solid, semi-solid, and liquid dosage form development and manufacturing for pharma and nutraceutical customers. Direct peer with comparable B2B CDMO model, GMP-certified EU facilities, and similar mid-sized positioning serving European and global pharma clients.
• Delpharm: French pharmaceutical CDMO with European manufacturing network specializing in solid, liquid, sterile, and semi-solid dosage forms. Direct peer competing for similar pharma and consumer health contract manufacturing engagements across Europe.
• NextPharma: European CDMO providing contract development and manufacturing of oral and specialty pharmaceutical dosage forms including pellets, granules, and modified-release formulations. Directly comparable in CDMO service scope and European customer base.
• Hovione: Portuguese CDMO specializing in API development and oral dosage form manufacturing with strong technology and particle engineering capabilities. Specialized CDMO peer with comparable service depth in oral solid dose development and manufacturing.
• Alcami: U.S.-based CDMO offering sterile injectable, oral solid dose, and analytical development services to pharma clients. Mid-sized CDMO peer competing for similar contract manufacturing engagements in the pharmaceutical value chain.

Broad incumbents

• Recipharm: Swedish-headquartered global CDMO (now part of EQT) offering contract development and manufacturing across multiple dosage forms including solids, semi-solids, steriles, and APIs. Broader incumbent with wider modality coverage and larger scale than HERMES PHARMA.
• Catalent: U.S.-headquartered global CDMO giant offering softgel, oral solid, biologics, and cell therapy contract services across a worldwide manufacturing network. Larger incumbent operating well beyond HERMES PHARMA's niche but addressing the same pharma contract manufacturing demand pool.
• Lonza: Swiss-listed global CDMO leader offering contract development and manufacturing for small molecules, biologics, and cell therapies. Overlapping CDMO business with much broader capabilities and geographic footprint than HERMES PHARMA.
• Piramal Pharma Solutions: India-headquartered CDMO division of Piramal Pharma offering contract development and manufacturing of APIs and finished dosage forms across global facilities. Larger CDMO peer operating in pharmaceutical manufacturing outsourcing with comparable customer segments.
• Patheon / Thermo Fisher Pharma Services: Global CDMO brand within Thermo Fisher Scientific offering small and large molecule contract development and manufacturing services. Broad incumbent with global scale and broader service portfolio than HERMES PHARMA.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCCQLWl5xxICEyx9AXoJwWCQ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hermes-pharma-get-the-dose-right
• Xx.com/HermesPharma

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about HERMES PHARMA