The Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) – a division of the American Chemical Society (ACS) specializing in scientific information solutions – recently added to its product portfolio with the unveiling of Formulus, a scientist-curated collection of formulations data.
“Formulators are challenged to identify, source, and differentiate ingredients as they develop new products and extend existing product lines,” explained Molly Strausbaugh, an assistant director at CAS.
According to the company, the new solution provides relevant formulations examples, regulatory information, and supplier-specific content, thereby reducing the ‘online searching burden.’
Hundred of scientists curated what is the largest collection of formulations in the world, said Strausbaugh. This serves as a ‘one-stop-shop’ for searches, which enables formulators to “innovate faster and solve problems resulting in fewer and more high-quality trials.”
“It’s vital that formulators identify inactive ingredients in drug development that enable pharmaceuticals to be safe, effective, and delivered to patients—for example, formulations for modified-release medications,” explained Strausbaugh, who led the Formulus development project.
“The cost of this development can reach 35% of the total cost of bringing a new drug to market, which is already averaging $3-$5bn and mired in an approximate 10-year time span,” she added.
Developed specifically for formulators, Formulus helps address increasingly complex processes and regulatory requirements.
Said Strausbaugh, “By getting formulators to baseline formulations faster and reducing the iterations in formulations planning, this solution improves the overall timeline of drug development.”
Additionally, CAS’s related solutions within SciFinderN and STNext connect the workflows of formulators, synthetic chemists, and intellectual property (IP) professionals.
“Curated by hundreds of scientists, the new CAS collection of formulations clearly identifies formulation ingredients and their roles and connects formulators to critical insights,” added Strausbaugh.
“Speeding up the development cycle and providing formulations information more quickly and reliably allows formulators to spend more time solving real-world challenges.”
