Emoviar PharmaCon
Turning Formulation into the New R&D Frontier in Pharma

In the high-stakes world of drug development, innovation has long focused on the molecule, the active ingredient, discovering it, optimising it, and expediting its approval. Yet the next competitive frontier may lie not in the compound itself, but in how it is delivered to the patient.

That premise drives Emoviar PharmaCon GmbH, a German contract research and development (R&D) and formulation consultancy founded and led by Dr. Mathias Scheer.

After more than three decades of spearheading formulation and manufacturing strategies across Europe, Scheer recognised a need to rethink the conventional development model. After observing repeated bottlenecks in molecule-centric pipelines, he launched Emoviar in 2022 to create general-purpose formulation platforms that can be customised for diverse active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs).

“We do not begin with a predefined project. We start by identifying the need for a platform technology. While most pharmaceutical development focuses on formulating specific APIs, we prioritise creating broadly applicable solutions,” says Scheer.

This reorientation, from reactive formulation to proactive platform design, represents a fundamental departure from the traditional molecule-centric mindset. For Scheer, the approach holds the key to accelerating development timelines, strengthening intellectual property portfolios, and expanding therapeutic reach.

Blending Functionality with Formulation

At the centre of this transformation is Emoviar’s flagship innovation, Liqui-SRS^®, a patented, umbrella technology that gives “pharmaceutical” sustained-release properties to poorly soluble drugs, offering licensees a ready-made route to differentiated products. It is a dual-function oral delivery platform that integrates two formulation technologies, overcoming two core challenges in drug development: enhancing solubility through cyclodextrin complexation and achieving sustained release via sophisticated, proprietary polymer membrane systems.

Conventional pipelines often overlook poor solubility and short half-life as unrelated formulation issues. A molecule first gets a solubility ‘fix’ and only later, if needed, a sustained-release version. Liqui-SRS^® consolidates those workflows into a single design, providing developers with a single, IP protected chassis that addresses both issues simultaneously and shortens the time to clinic and commercialisation.

“Developers rarely try to enhance solubility before designing sustained-release systems, assuming low solubility aids slow release. But we understand that optimal absorption needs high solubility, and only then can you manage the release,” Scheer states.

This platform-first logic becomes especially powerful when applied to APIs notorious for formulation difficulties. Cannabinoids and psychedelics, both structurally unstable and poorly soluble, are classic examples.

Another example is kinase inhibitors, widely used in oncology; these drugs are typically available only in immediate-release form. Emoviar redefines them with enhanced solubility and sustained-release profiles. It converts immediate-release dosage forms into sustained-release dosage forms using proprietary diffusion membrane technology, thereby extending product exclusivity and improving therapeutic outcomes and safety properties.

By uniting solubility-boosting and sustained-release capabilities in a single, license-ready platform, Liqui-SRS^® promises more stable, bioavailable and patient-friendly therapies—and a robust new patent layer for sponsors looking to revitalise or differentiate existing off-patent molecules.

From Problem to Platform to Patent

Setting Emoviar apart is its belief that formulation is not just a means of delivery, but a strategic pathway to intellectual property (IP). In a pharmaceutical market saturated with patent cliffs and lookalike drugs, Emoviar provides the rare ability to transform unpatentable molecules into protected, commercially viable products through innovative formulation science.

“Take cannabinoids. They have been known for decades. No one can patent the API. But with our technology, we create a novel formulation that can be protected. That opens the door for investment in proper clinical trials,” Scheer explains.
Most importantly, Emoviar embeds patent strategy at the very start of development. Before any lab work begins, it conducts a freedom-to-operate analysis and designs formulations with IP protection in mind. This approach completely flips the traditional model, treating intellectual property not as an afterthought or a final step, but as the foundation of the entire drug product development process.

SMART Framework Aligns Scalable Science with Market Needs

All of Emoviar’s technologies are developed within the SMART framework, a design and development philosophy that ensures every formulation is simple, multifaceted, amazing, reliable and targeted.

While the acronym is memorable, its true power lies in its execution. Many academic and early-stage pharmaceutical projects fail not because the science is unsound, but because they are impractical to manufacture on a large scale. The SMART framework bridges that gap.

“Many academic projects falter because they lack scalability and commercial viability. Isolating a cyclodextrin complex, for example, while scientifically elegant, is impractical for real-world manufacturing if it requires 100,000 litres of solvent to produce just 100 doses,” says Scheer.

Instead, Emoviar simplifies the process by protecting the inclusion complex without separation directly with the sustained-release polymer. This eliminates unnecessary isolation steps, streamlines production, and improves overall efficiency. It also reduces the regulatory burden by minimising complexity in documentation and validation.

At the core of this speed and adaptability is Emoviar’s lean, but fully equipped development lab. Unburdened by the documentation demands of R&D labs integrated in GMP facilities, the lab enables rapid PoC and early-stage prototype development and validation. This allows for projects to be completed in just six to twelve months, reducing the typical time-to-market timeline for clients by up to a year and a half.

Consulting That Begins with Feasibility and Ends in Formulation

Emoviar is more than a formulation lab. It is also a consulting firm built on a deep foundation of operational and regulatory experience. Its services go beyond scientific design to include practical guidance on scale-up, compliance and commercialisation.

This hybrid approach has attracted a diverse portfolio of clients, from midsize pharmaceutical companies and contract manufacturers to early-stage biotech firms navigating their first clinical programs. Whether advising a North American psychedelics company preparing for Phase I trials or a European generic drug manufacturer looking to breathe new life into an expiring asset, Emoviar offers tailored, actionable strategies.

It is a business model designed for real-world impact, where the science is validated and the path to production is mapped out.

Training the Next Generation, Building the Next Platform

In 2025, Emoviar welcomed a new team member with senior experience in platform technology development and regulatory intelligence, coupled with expertise in digital technologies and leveraging artificial intelligence, marking a generational shift and a philosophical evolution.

Scheer views this addition as essential to Emoviar’s long-term vision, blending pharmaceutical expertise with modern digital tools to accelerate formulation development, predictive modelling, and data-driven optimisation.

“We collaborate based on mutual respect, appreciating each other’s areas of expertise. The goal is to create a legacy of innovation that endures,” Scheer says.

The company also maintains a deliberately lean structure, minimising layers of management and maximising agility. Scheer believes that in larger organisations, scepticism often overshadows initiative. With this in mind, he built a team focused on solutions rather than obstacles and a culture rooted in curiosity, creativity, and decisive action. By staying small and nimble, Emoviar encourages calculated risk-taking, driving scalable, commercially viable outcomes without the drag of internal bureaucracy.

This agility allows Emoviar to pursue bold ideas quickly. One such innovation is the upcoming sustained-release platform, Lipid-SRS®, which is specifically designed for highly soluble APIs in a hydrophobic matrix. Like Liqui-SRS^®, it is being developed as a versatile formulation scaffold, designed to be adapted across multiple drug classes.

Strategic Partnerships and Future Positioning

Emoviar’s formulation platforms are not being developed in isolation. The company is forging several strategic partnerships across the pharmaceutical value chain, including collaborations with cyclodextrin chemists in Hungary and academic institutions in Germany. The outcome? Groundbreaking innovations, such as the Liqui-SRS^®-based THCCBD formulation, are now nearing pilot-scale production.

In another strategic move, the company has elected to self-fund its pharmacokinetic studies. This uncommon approach promises to reduce risk for future partners, offering clinical-stage companies a ready-to-use formulation backed by proven data.

This proactive model is central to Emoviar’s broader commercial strategy: to deliver investable, ready-to-scale platforms that de-risk downstream development. For clients entering Phase II or III trials, these validated technologies accelerate regulatory progress, shorten time-to-market, and strengthen investor confidence.

Distinguishing Emoviar is more than its technology. It is the way it redefines formulation as a strategic asset. By focusing on platform-based development, securing patent protection early, and designing for real-world manufacturability, it empowers clients to rethink what is possible in modern drug development.

In a pharmaceutical landscape defined by speed, competition, and the constant pursuit of differentiation, Emoviar delivers what matters most—scalable innovation, streamlined execution and enduring intellectual property.