Written by Nick Evans Tuesday, 26 May 2009 00:00
iCeutica says it recently signed an agreement with an unnamed company for the use of its platform to reformulate new chemical entities for its new partner.
According to iCeutica, its SoluMatrix platform allows the company to deliver poorly water-soluble compounds simply and cost-effectively, improving bioavailability and opening up new drug delivery options.
The company says the process dry-mills a drug, together with conventional pharmaceutical matrix materials, down to nano-scale particle sizes (typically less than 2000 nanometers in diameter).
The drug particles are stabilised against agglomeration by the unique matrix structure created, which iCeutica says can also provide other beneficial pharmakokinetic properties.
The process improves bioavailability of drugs, by increasing the total surface area of the drug particles available to interact in the body.
iCeutica is not disclosing the terms of the new agreement, nor whether the drugs the company will be working on are new chemical entities or reformulations of already approved drugs.
However, the company says its partner intends to “guide progression of these reformulated products through the development and regulatory process and ultimate launch”.
The agreement follows the recent completion of the first human trials using a SoluMatrix-formulated product in the United States and the company anticipates the start of a further two clinical trials in coming months.
The company has reformulations of several unnamed non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in Phase 1 clinical trials in the US, with trials on reformulations of generic versions of Meloxicam and Metalaxone due to begin shortly.
iCeutica says it expects to announce other licensing activity later this year.
"We are pleased to be able to work with solid global companies and continue to generate revenue from select partners we have chosen to pursue at this stage of our development," says iCeutica chief executive Matt Callahan.
"This transaction represents iCeutica's first transaction with a big pharma, and further validates the value proposition of the SoluMatrix platform.
“While we are cautiously approaching the new programs with our partner, we are keen to see the new candidates progress through clinical development and ultimately to launch.”
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