Catalent Partners with Mantra to Develop and Manufacture Single-Serve OTC Oral Gel Products
Catalent, Inc., a leading global contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) dedicated to helping people live better and healthier lives, has announced a commercial supply agreement with Mantra™, a consumer health company focused on developing single-serve, over-the-counter (OTC) oral gel products for everyday relief. The partnership will support the commercialization of Mantra’s oral gel product platform, which is designed to provide consumers with a convenient alternative to traditional oral dosage forms.
Under the agreement, Catalent will provide formulation development, commercial manufacturing and packaging services for Mantra’s OTC product portfolio at its facility in St. Petersburg, Florida. The products covered by the agreement are intended to address three common consumer health concerns: occasional sleeplessness, pain relief and menstrual relief.
The collaboration brings together Mantra’s consumer-focused product concept and Catalent’s development and manufacturing capabilities. By combining an innovative single-serve oral gel format with established CDMO infrastructure, the companies aim to support the transition of Mantra’s portfolio from product development toward commercial availability.
The agreement also represents a new milestone for Catalent, as the company will manufacture its first OTC unit-dose gel technology. The project expands Catalent’s involvement in consumer health and demonstrates its role in supporting companies seeking to introduce differentiated self-care products to the market.
Catalent to Provide Development, Manufacturing and Packaging Services
Catalent will support Mantra’s oral gel platform through a range of services at its St. Petersburg, Florida facility. The scope of work includes formulation development, commercial manufacturing and packaging, bringing several stages of the product supply process together under one manufacturing partner.
Formulation development is an important component of bringing a consumer health product to market. It involves establishing and refining the product formulation and ensuring that it is suitable for the intended dosage form and manufacturing process. For a unit-dose oral gel, development work must support the production of a consistent product that can be delivered in an appropriate, convenient package.
Commercial manufacturing will enable production to move beyond development activities and toward the supply of finished products for the consumer market. Packaging services will support the delivery of Mantra’s oral gels in single-serve pouches, the format at the center of the company’s product strategy.
By providing these services through its established infrastructure, Catalent will help Mantra advance its portfolio while accessing the technical capabilities and manufacturing scale of an experienced CDMO.
Dr. Aris Gennadios, Group President of Pharma and Consumer Health at Catalent, said the company is focused on helping innovators bring self-care products to market by combining expertise, scale and speed.
“At Catalent, our priority is to support innovators with the expertise, scale and speed to bring self-care products to market,” Gennadios said. “This is the first OTC unit-dose gel technology manufactured by Catalent, and we are proud to support the commercialization of Mantra’s portfolio.”
His comments highlight the significance of the agreement for both companies. For Catalent, the collaboration introduces an OTC unit-dose gel technology into its manufacturing activities. For Mantra, it provides access to development, production and packaging capabilities intended to support the commercialization of its products.
Mantra Introduces a Convenient Alternative to Traditional OTC Products
Mantra’s product platform is built around single-serve oral gel formulations packaged in portable pouches. Each pouch is designed to deliver a precise, pre-measured dose without requiring water, offering a different experience from conventional tablets, capsules and syrups.
Traditional OTC medicines remain widely used for everyday health concerns, but their dosage forms and administration requirements may not suit every consumer or situation. Tablets and capsules generally require swallowing, while some liquid medicines involve measuring a dose or carrying a larger container. Mantra’s pouch-based approach is intended to simplify the process by combining a pre-measured dose with a portable package.
The single-serve design may be particularly useful for consumers seeking a format that can be carried during daily activities and used when needed, subject to the directions and instructions applicable to each product. Because the dose is pre-measured, the format is also intended to reduce the need for consumers to measure a liquid product before administration.
Mantra is developing products for occasional sleeplessness, pain relief and menstrual relief. These areas represent distinct consumer self-care needs, and the company’s platform is intended to apply a consistent delivery concept across its portfolio.
Although the products share a common format, each product must be developed and manufactured in accordance with the requirements relevant to its intended use. The commercial supply agreement establishes Catalent’s role in supporting the formulation, manufacturing and packaging activities for products within Mantra’s portfolio.
The companies have not provided additional product-specific information in the announcement regarding individual formulations, active ingredients, launch dates or commercial availability. The agreement nevertheless establishes a manufacturing framework to support the next stage of Mantra’s commercialization efforts.
Clean Formulations Form Part of Mantra’s Product Strategy
In addition to its delivery format, Mantra emphasizes the composition of its products. According to the company, its oral gels are made with clean formulations that are free from artificial dyes, artificial flavors, artificial sweeteners and preservatives.
This formulation approach forms part of Mantra’s broader effort to rethink the everyday medicine experience. The company is positioning its products around convenience, portability and a formulation philosophy intended to appeal to consumers who pay attention to the ingredients in products they use.
Consumer expectations in health and wellness have evolved, with product design, ease of use and ingredient choices becoming important considerations in purchasing decisions. Mantra’s approach seeks to address these preferences through a combination of single-serve packaging and formulations that exclude the specified artificial ingredients.
The company’s product concept focuses not only on the medicine itself but also on how consumers interact with it. Packaging, dosage presentation and ease of administration can influence the overall experience of using an OTC product. By incorporating these considerations into its platform, Mantra aims to offer an alternative to familiar dosage forms while retaining the practical purpose of everyday relief products.
The stated absence of artificial dyes, artificial flavors, artificial sweeteners and preservatives describes Mantra’s formulation approach. It does not, by itself, establish that a product is more effective or safer than other OTC medicines. Product suitability and use depend on the individual formulation, its labeling and the applicable directions for use.
Catalent’s role in formulation development and commercial manufacturing will support the production of Mantra’s oral gel products within the agreed scope of services. The collaboration therefore connects Mantra’s product design priorities with the technical and operational processes needed to manufacture and package the portfolio.
Partnership Supports Mantra’s Commercialization Plans
For an emerging consumer health company, moving from product concept and development to commercial supply requires more than a distinctive product format. Companies must establish manufacturing processes, arrange suitable packaging, maintain consistent production and work with partners capable of supporting commercial demand.
Mantra’s agreement with Catalent is intended to address these operational requirements by bringing together formulation development, manufacturing and packaging services. Working with an established CDMO may allow Mantra to concentrate on its product portfolio and consumer proposition while relying on a partner with experience in pharmaceutical and consumer health manufacturing.
Catalent’s development-to-commercial capabilities are central to the arrangement. Its manufacturing infrastructure and quality systems provide the operational foundation for supporting products as they progress toward commercial supply. The company’s ability to provide multiple services through one facility also aligns with the needs of businesses seeking coordinated support across development and production.
The agreement reflects the importance of manufacturing partnerships in the consumer health sector, particularly for companies introducing new dosage formats. While an innovative delivery system may help differentiate a product, commercial success also depends on the ability to manufacture it consistently and package it in a form that meets the intended consumer requirements.
For Mantra, the collaboration is a step toward bringing its single-serve oral gel concept to market. For Catalent, it represents an opportunity to apply its capabilities to an OTC unit-dose gel platform and expand its support for differentiated self-care products.
Mantra Seeks to Modernize the Everyday Medicine Experience
Simon More, CEO and Founder of Mantra, said the company was established to rethink how consumers take everyday medicines. He noted that while consumer expectations have changed across many health and wellness categories, the way people take common medicines has remained largely the same.
“Consumers have changed the way they think about nearly every category of health and wellness, but the way we take everyday medicine has remained largely unchanged,” More said. “We built Mantra to rethink that experience through a modern format, clean formulations and a more convenient approach to everyday relief. Partnering with Catalent gives us the development expertise, manufacturing capabilities and scale to bring that vision to market.”
More’s statement underscores the company’s focus on the overall consumer experience rather than on formulation alone. Mantra’s platform combines a portable pouch, a pre-measured dose and an oral gel format to create an alternative to conventional tablets, capsules and syrups.
The partnership with Catalent is intended to provide the manufacturing support required to translate that concept into commercial products. Access to formulation development and packaging services will be particularly relevant as Mantra works to establish the production processes and finished-product presentation required for its portfolio.
The companies’ complementary roles are central to the collaboration. Mantra is responsible for the consumer health concept and its product platform, while Catalent will contribute development, manufacturing and packaging services. Together, these capabilities are intended to support the progression of Mantra’s products toward the market.
Catalent Continues to Support Self-Care Innovation
The commercial supply agreement also reflects Catalent’s broader commitment to supporting companies developing products for consumer health and self-care. Through its development and manufacturing services, the CDMO works with innovators seeking to bring healthcare products from development into commercial production.
Consumer health companies may require different types of external support depending on their product designs, manufacturing requirements and commercialization plans. For businesses introducing less conventional dosage forms, access to suitable formulation expertise, production infrastructure and packaging capabilities can be especially important.
Catalent’s work with Mantra combines these services for an oral gel platform designed around single-serve delivery. The project marks the first OTC unit-dose gel technology manufactured by Catalent, according to the company, and adds a new product format to its activities supporting consumer health innovators.
The collaboration illustrates how CDMOs can help bridge the gap between product innovation and commercial supply. While a new dosage format may offer a different way for consumers to use everyday relief products, it must also be supported by appropriate development and manufacturing processes before it can reach the market.
Through the agreement, Catalent will provide the technical and operational services required within the defined scope, while Mantra continues its effort to establish a portfolio of convenient OTC oral gel products.
Advancing a New Format for Everyday Relief
The agreement between Catalent and Mantra brings together an emerging consumer health platform and the manufacturing capabilities of a global CDMO. Catalent will provide formulation development, commercial manufacturing and packaging at its St. Petersburg, Florida facility for Mantra’s OTC products targeting occasional sleeplessness, pain relief and menstrual relief.
Mantra’s single-serve pouches are designed to deliver pre-measured oral gel doses without water, offering a portable alternative to traditional dosage forms. The company also emphasizes formulations free from artificial dyes, flavors, sweeteners and preservatives as part of its effort to create a more convenient self-care experience.
For Catalent, the partnership represents its first OTC unit-dose gel manufacturing project and reinforces its commitment to supporting self-care innovation. For Mantra, the agreement provides access to development expertise, commercial production capabilities and packaging services intended to support the commercialization of its product platform.
As consumers continue to consider convenience and product design alongside other factors when choosing everyday health products, the collaboration positions Mantra to advance its approach to OTC relief with support from an established manufacturing partner. The announcement establishes the companies’ commercial supply relationship, although specific launch timelines and further product details have not been disclosed.
About Catalent
Catalent, Inc. is a leading global contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) championing the missions that help people live better and healthier lives. Every product that Catalent helps develop, manufacture and launch reflects its commitment to improve health outcomes around the world through its Patient First approach. Catalent provides unparalleled service to pharma, biotech and consumer health customers, delivering on their missions to transform lives.
Catalent tailors end-to-end solutions to meet customers’ needs in all phases of development and manufacturing. With thousands of scientists and technicians and the latest technology platforms at nearly 40 global sites, Catalent supplies billions of doses of life-enhancing and life-saving treatments for patients annually. For more information, visit www.catalent.com.
About Mantra™
Mantra™ is a consumer health company rethinking everyday over-the-counter medicine through a new generation of single-serve oral gels. Its products combine clinically proven active ingredients with clean formulations in portable, pre-measured pouches designed as a convenient alternative to traditional tablets, capsules and syrups. With products spanning sleep, pain and menstrual relief, Mantra is focused on making everyday medicine simpler, more convenient and better suited to the modern consumer.