Brookwood acquisition expands delivery portfolio
Through the acquisition, of which financial details have not been disclosed, Brookwood has further expanded its drug delivery portfolio.
The NLC technology is a system to provide an effective delivery mechanism for lipophilic therapeutics, which PharmaSol believes offers advantages over other methods of administration currently in use and development.
Professor Rainer Müller, founder of PharmaSol, said: “Brookwood has exceptional capabilities in particle technology, including scale-up and manufacturing.
“With this collaboration, we can accelerate the development of NLC lipid technology and expand its use into a broad range of clinical applications including oncology, central nervous system (CNS) and cardiovascular.”
Use of the NLC technology could facilitate the commercialisation of drug candidates that fail on the basis that they do not dissolve in the stomach or intestinal tract. NLCs could increase the solubility of such drugs, improving oral bioavailability to clinically effective levels.
In addition injectable NLC formulations can release therapeutics over a period of up to seven days, according to PharmaSol.
According to PharmaSol, NLCs offer numerous advantages over other drug delivery nanotechnologies such as liposomes, emulsions and solid lipid nanoparticles.
Increased drug loading and the ability to produce smaller doses with longer shelf life are both cited by PharmaSol as advantages of the NLC system. NLC formulations can be administered orally or via intravenous or subcutaneous injection.
In addition the company claims NLCs can be produced in large batches, at low cost using excipients that already have regulatory approval.
It is these traits that have attracted Brookwood, which through the acquisition has expanded its portfolio to cover shorter duration injectables. The company believes NLCs will complement its existing multi-day to multi-month microparticle delivery technology.
Brookwood boosts capacity
To expand its R&D and manufacturing capacity Brookwood recently acquired an additional facility in Birmingham, Alabama. Brookwood achieved record revenues in the second fiscal quarter of 2008 and this growth has fueled the desire to expand capacity.
Bruce Barclay, president and CEO of SurModics, said: “With an anticipated total investment of approximately $30m in the facility and associated renovation, we will be constructing a world-class facility to develop and manufacture drug delivery products to improve patient outcomes around the world.”
