DuPont Nutrition & Biosciences, a biotech business unit of DowDuPont Specialty Products Division, has agreed to extend the Controlled Release (CR) Alliance with Colorcon by adding the Aquacoat range of modified release products.
Aquacoat is a technology DuPont acquired from FMC. The product line includes Aquacoat ECD, a colloidal dispersion of ethylcellulose polymer for sustained release, and Aquacoat CPD, for enteric coating applications.
The primary release mechanism is drug diffusion across a water-insoluble membrane. As stated by Colorcon, the Aquacoat ECD "offers stable, reproducible, pH-independent release profiles." The coatings are designed for use in both pharmaceutical and nutritional solid dose applications.
Addition of plasticizer is required for use, with the type and level of addition based on the permeability and the drug release profile required.
The nature of Colorcon’s agreement to add Aquacoat to the CR Alliance could not be disclosed.
A long-term collaboration
Colorcon and DuPont entered CR Alliance, a controlled release collaboration in 2007, according to which Colorcon would be responsible for the development and distribution of DuPont’s pharmaceutical products for use in oral controlled release applications.
A spokesperson from Colorcon told us that the company’s current goal is to “transition existing customers over to Colorcon, who from May 1st will be serviced through Colorcon directly and will benefit from Colorcon’s technical knowledge and applications expertise in functional film coating systems and excipients.”
