Oct 24, 2023

Botanical Solutions Inc. sees growth, recognition, in biologicals

Quillibrium, a biopesticide from Botanical Solutions Inc., continues to see increased sales through a partnership with Syngenta, and expansion plans are expected to boost them further.

The company reports Quillibrium saw a growth of more than 50% year-over-year of effective growers’ adoption in Chile and Peru, according to a news release. More than 100,000 acres have been treated with Quillilbrium.

There are expansions planned for Mexico, Brazil, the U.S. and European Union.

In November 2022, BSI received the Best New Biological Product (pesticide) for the Quillaja saponaria plant-based fungicide, Quillibrium, at the Crop Science Awards, formerly known as the Agrow Awards.

BSI, Davis, California, also received the 2023 Best Process Innovation Award from ICIS Chemical Business.

The ICIS Award for Process Innovation recognizes BSI’s “unique and proprietary platform for a truly sustainable and scalable production of plant-based products without sourcing raw materials from nature or conventional plantations,” according to a news release.

BSI’s most recent technology breakthrough enables a robust supply chain for the vaccine adjuvant QS-21, thanks to a partnership with Croda Pharma This next generation of QS-21, has been proven biochemically comparable and as immunogenic as the traditional QS-21, obtained from very old soapbark trees that grow predominantly in Chile. QS-21 is used in FDA approved vaccines such as shingles, malaria, RSV, and COVID plus promising new vaccine candidates and immunotherapy treatments such as cancer. Croda Pharma announced the partnership with BSI earlier this year and launched this award-winning innovation subsequently to their global customer base.

The ICIS award ceremony was Oct. 17 at the Savoy Hotel in Central London.

“I’m honored to accept this award on behalf of Croda’s partner, Botanical Solution,” said Laura Reilly, Croda Pharma’s vice president of marketing, when she accepted the award. “Croda and BSI have an excellent partnership to meet the pharma industry’s needs for QS-21, including a reliable and stable supply of this Gold Standard vaccine adjuvant.”

Gastón Salinas, BSI CEO, thanked the judges, Croda Pharma and Syngenta.

“The BSI team is proud that our contribution to human health and sustainable agriculture is receiving this high recognition from the industry,” Salinas said in the release.