CycloLab

What CycloLab does

CycloLab Cyclodextrin Research and Development Laboratory Ltd. (Cyclolab Kft.) is a privately held Hungarian specialty biotechnology company founded in 1972 in Budapest, focused on the synthesis, characterization, and cGMP manufacturing of cyclodextrins and cyclodextrin derivatives. CycloLab maintains what it describes as the world's largest inventory of cyclodextrin derivatives — more than 150 distinct compounds spanning fine chemical, analytical standard, and pharmaceutical grades — delivered at scales from milligrams to multi-ton GMP batches. The company's core commercial product is Dexolve, a USP N.F. and EP compliant Betadex Sulfobutyl Ether Sodium (SBECD, DS~6.5) manufactured under cGMP conditions with validated batch scales exceeding 350 kg and multi-ton annual capacity; Dexolve is qualified in over 50 active pharmaceutical ingredients and used by more than 100 clients globally, and is specifically named as the principal formulating excipient in Gilead's patent applications for remdesivir (Veklury, COVID-19) and late sodium current inhibitor intravenous formulations.

CycloLab operates four integrated business lines: (1) Dexolve and pharma-grade cyclodextrin excipient manufacturing under cGMP; (2) custom cyclodextrin synthesis as a CRO service (mg to kg scale, with 40+ years of bespoke route development); (3) pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical formulation development services (including proprietary patents granted on agomelatine, dapagliflozin, and cinacalcet cyclodextrin formulations, and pending applications on Lonafarnib and Panobinostat); and (4) analytical services (method development, validation, and routine release testing using HPLC, GC, MS, NMR, IR, CE, and light scattering). Customer segments span pharmaceutical, food, biotechnology, cosmetics, veterinary, and agricultural industries, with pharmaceutical as the primary vertical. Distribution combines a self-service e-commerce web shop for catalog products with consultative direct sales for custom synthesis, formulation development, and GMP manufacturing, supported globally by courier shipping.

The company is founder-owned (descended from József Szejtli, a recognized cyclodextrin pioneer) and currently led by CEO Tamas Sohajda (appointed 2021), Scientific Advisor Dr. Lajos Szente (Hungarian Academy of Sciences corresponding member, Derek Horton Award recipient), Managing Director Abdula Kurkayev, and Finances/Administration Director Bohdan Titula. CycloLab holds an FDA Drug Master File for Dexolve with USFDA and NMPA approvals, has been designated a Hungarian Academy of Sciences Excellent Research Site (2024), and received the Hungarian Innovation Grand Prix (2021) for its role in the remdesivir/SBECD excipient supply chain during COVID-19. The firm participates in EU and NIH-funded research consortia and has been recognized multiple times via Hungarian Academy of Sciences 'Publication of the Month' awards through 2025.

Name

CycloLab

Legal name

Cyclolab Kft.

Website

https://cyclolab.hu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CycloLab is a Budapest-based specialty biotech founded in 1972 that synthesizes, characterizes, and cGMP-manufactures cyclodextrin derivatives (150+ compounds) for pharmaceutical, food, cosmetics, biotech, and agricultural clients globally, with Dexolve (SBECD) as its flagship pharma-grade excipient.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pharmaceutical Excipients

NAICS

Pharmaceutical Preparation Manufacturing (325412), Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing (3254), Drugs and Druggists' Sundries Merchant Wholesalers (424210)

SIC

Medicinal Chemicals & Botanical Products (2833), Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834), Wholesale-Drugs, Proprietaries & Druggists' Sundries (5122)

akta.pro primary industry

Forecasting, Modeling & Early Warning Systems (Syndromic/Nowcasting) (HLAJAJAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Compounding Pharmacies (Sterile/Non-Sterile) (HLAFALAE), Regulatory Strategy & IND/NDA/BLA Submissions Support (HLAIALAH)

Keywords

• Pharmaceutical excipients
• Cyclodextrin manufacturing
• SBECD production
• Custom chemical synthesis
• Formulation development services

Headquarters

HQ city

Budapest

HQ country

Hungary

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Cyclodextrin product sales: Sale of cyclodextrins and derivatives across multiple grades (pharma grade, research grade, analytical standards) through e-commerce web shop. Products include standard cyclodextrins, modified derivatives, polymers, fluorescent tagged products, and complexes.
2. Custom synthesis services: CRO services for custom cyclodextrin synthesis tailored for specific guest molecules and purposes, including Sugammadex-related synthesis. Revenue generated through service contracts and project-based fees.
3. GMP manufacturing services: cGMP-compliant pilot-scale manufacturing of cyclodextrins for use as APIs or excipients in clinical studies, and for cyclodextrin-enabled formulations. Includes analytical services under GMP.
4. Analytical services: Method development, validation, routine release testing, and consultancy for cyclodextrins and formulations. Includes analysis in complex biological matrices like blood plasma and liquor samples.
5. Formulation development services: Pharmaceutical product development services including interaction studies, proof of concept, formulation development, and stability studies. Non-pharmaceutical development for food, biotechnology, cosmetic, and veterinary industries.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CycloLab manufactures and sells cyclodextrin derivatives and related specialty chemicals, with Dexolve (Sulfobutylether-beta-cyclodextrin sodium salt, SBECD) as the flagship cGMP pharma-grade excipient. The company also operates an e-commerce catalog of pharma, research, and analytical-grade cyclodextrins, and delivers contract research, custom synthesis, analytical, and formulation development services to pharmaceutical, biotech, food, cosmetic, veterinary, and agricultural customers worldwide.

Product overview

CycloLab is a cyclodextrin research, development, and manufacturing company offering a comprehensive portfolio of cyclodextrin products and services. The core product is Dexolve (Sulfobutylether-beta-cyclodextrin sodium salt), a USP/EP compliant pharma-grade excipient manufactured under cGMP conditions. Beyond Dexolve, the product portfolio includes pharma grade, research grade, and analytical standard cyclodextrins across various derivative types (anionic, cationic, non-ionic, single isomer, polymers, fluorescent-tagged), cyclodextrin complexes, maltooligomers, and HPLC columns. Services encompass pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical product development, custom synthesis, analytical services, and free feasibility studies for API compatibility testing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Dexolve: USP and EP compliant Betadex Sulfobutyl Ether Sodium (SBECD) formulation excipient manufactured under cGMP conditions. Used for enhancing solubility and stability of drug formulations.
• Cyclodextrin News

Products and services

• Dexolve (Sulfobutylether-beta-cyclodextrin sodium salt, SBECD) USP N.F. and EP compliant Betadex Sulfobutyl Ether Sodium manufactured under cGMP conditions at over 350 kg batch scale and several tons annually, enhancing solubility and stability of drug formulations, used in injection formulations and intravenous dosage forms, utilized by over 50 APIs and 100 clients.
• Pharma Grade Cyclodextrins Pharmaceutical-grade cyclodextrins including Alpha-cyclodextrin, Beta-cyclodextrin, Gamma-cyclodextrin, Dexolve (SBECD), (2-Hydroxypropyl)-beta-cyclodextrin, and (2-Hydroxypropyl)-gamma-cyclodextrin for drug formulation applications.
• Research Grade Cyclodextrins Cyclodextrins for research purposes, providing discovery and preformulation scientists with materials for screening and feasibility studies.
• Analytical Standards Standards for analytical qualification and testing of cyclodextrins, including Sugammadex-related impurities, used by pharmaceutical analytical laboratories for method validation and routine release testing.
• Cyclodextrin Derivatives Portfolio The largest inventory of fine chemical, standard and pharma grade cyclodextrin derivatives ranging from mg to kg scale, including maltooligomers, fluorescent-tagged cyclodextrins, single isomers, polymers, complexes, and special HPLC columns for qualification.
• Pharmaceutical Product Development Services Customization of cyclodextrin-enabled pharmaceutical formulations and life-cycle management services, including interaction studies, proof of concept, formulation development, and analytical support for pharmaceutical companies.
• Non-Pharmaceutical Development Services Cyclodextrin-enabled product development for food, biotechnology, cosmetic, and veterinary industries including flavor stabilization, vitamin solubilization, and cosmetic formulations.
• Analytical Services Method development, validation, routine release testing, and consultancy services using HPLC, GC, MS, NMR, IR, CE, and light scattering techniques, including analysis in complex biological matrices such as blood plasma and liquor samples.
• Custom Cyclodextrin Synthesis Exclusive manufacture and synthesis of unique cyclodextrin derivatives with self-tailored products and characteristics, with output ranging from 10-100 mg to 10-100 g or up to several kg.
• Feasibility Studies Free short feasibility studies to determine if cyclodextrins can solve API solubility or stability issues, with report provided within two weeks from receipt of API.
• cGMP Manufacturing Services for Cyclodextrins cGMP-compliant pilot-scale manufacturing of cyclodextrins for use as APIs or excipients in clinical studies, and for cyclodextrin-enabled formulations, including analytical services under GMP.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 100,000 fold solubility enhancement for drug formulations
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Forskolin fermentation projectminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Eurostars project (2024-1.2.7-EUROSTARS-2024-00002) for forskolin fermentation enabled by cyclodextrins. Cyclolab as partner organization.
• Daicel CorporationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 May 2021Joint publication of white paper on bitterness masking effect of beta-cyclodextrin in orally disintegrating tablets using Daicel's proprietary excipient mixture Granfiller D.
• RotaChrom TechnologiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 February 2021Strategic partnership to develop a more efficient and cost-effective process to purify Remdesivir using Centrifugal Partition Chromatography (CPC) technology for COVID-19 treatment production.
• InnoStudio Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 November 2020Partnership to investigate potential effect of microgravity on complex formation properties of remdesivir and SBECD in space experiments for COVID-19 drug research.
• University of California, BerkeleycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 May 2020Collaboration to evaluate antiviral potential of cyclodextrins against SARS-CoV-2 and other viral infections. Supplemental grant awarded by NIH. UC Berkeley, Excivion and CycloLab team-up.
• ExcivioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 May 2020Collaboration with UC Berkeley and CycloLab to evaluate antiviral potential of cyclodextrins against SARS-CoV-2 and other viral infections.
• BactiVax consortiumminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Network under Horizon 2020 for developing effective vaccines against antimicrobial resistant bacterial infections. CycloLab as partner organization.
• Flavivirus researchminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020NIH-funded project (NIAID/NIH R21 AI146464) for mechanism and in vivo activity of novel glycan-based therapy against flavivirus and SARS-CoV-2.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Roquette: Global starch- and polyol-based ingredient manufacturer and one of the largest producers of cyclodextrins (Kleptose line) for pharmaceutical and food applications. Directly competes with CycloLab in pharma-grade cyclodextrin supply.
• Daicel Corporation: Japanese chemical manufacturer producing cyclodextrins for pharma and food applications, including partnerships around bitterness masking. CycloLab has co-published with Daicel, underscoring direct competition in the same chemistry space.
• Jiangsu Fengyuan Biotechnology: Chinese cyclodextrin manufacturer producing alpha, beta, and gamma cyclodextrins and derivatives for pharma and food. Competes with CycloLab on price-sensitive standard products and increasingly on pharma-grade supply.
• Wacker Chemie: German chemical company producing the Cavamax W7 and Cavamax W8 cyclodextrin families used in pharma, food, and cosmetics. Competes head-to-head with CycloLab across both standard derivatives and pharma-grade excipients.
• Ensuiko Sugar Refining: Japanese sugar refiner that branched into cyclodextrin manufacturing and is one of the established Asian producers. Competes with CycloLab in standard and pharma-grade cyclodextrin derivatives.

Broad incumbents

• PharmaZell: European API and excipient manufacturer with custom synthesis and cGMP manufacturing services overlapping CycloLab's CRO and GMP production offerings for pharma customers.
• Croda International: UK-based specialty chemical company with a pharma excipient division (formerly Avanti Polar Lipids and Incotec) supplying solubilizers and formulation aids. Overlaps with CycloLab's pharma formulation customers.
• Ashland: Global specialty chemical company offering a broad portfolio of pharmaceutical excipients, including solubilizers and stabilizers used in oral and injectable formulations. Competes with CycloLab as part of a wider excipient portfolio.
• BASF: Largest chemical company in the world with an excipients and active ingredients business serving pharma, food, and agriculture. Competes with CycloLab across solubilization and formulation chemistry from a much broader portfolio.

Emerging players

• Cyclo Therapeutics: Clinical-stage biotech using HPBCD (a cyclodextrin CycloLab produces) as the API in Trappsol Cyclo for Niemann-Pick Disease Type C. Customer/ecosystem relationship rather than direct competitor, but operates in the same cyclodextrin-enabled therapeutic space.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CyclolabLtd

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 CycloLab