Particle and engineering company Crystec has announced it is collaborating with biosimilar organisation Biosidus on a project to enhance the delivery and performance of biotherapeutics.
The non-exclusive partnership will see Crystec applying its proprietary mSAS (modified supercritical antisolvent) supercritical fluid particle engineering platform to selected Biosidus products in order to generate a range of innovative, differentiated medicines.
The companies’ first target is to accelerate the development of a dry powder preparation of teriparatide for the treatment of osteoporosis.
Teriparatide is a powerful anabolic treatment (a parathyroid hormone analog) which is used in the management of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis and fractures in patients with very low bone density. It is typically administered by daily injections over the course of a two-year period.
Crystec and Biosidus are working together with the ambition of eliminating the need for daily injections, by means of enabling administration via more patient friendly routes, such as through the lungs or via the nose. As such, the programme aims to apply mSAS to develop dry, free flowing teriparatide powders with high levels of retained biological activity, a targeted particle size and optimal aerodynamic performance for effective delivery to the lung or nasal cavity, ultimately enabling rapid systemic uptake.
Marcelo Criscuolo, scientific director at Biosidus, said: “We are passionate about making our vital therapies accessible and convenient for those who require them. Our ultimate ambition is to eliminate the need for daily injections meaning that men, women and children who suffer from long term and chronic illnesses are not subjected to additional discomfort in the course of their treatment. Working with Crystec’s innovative mSAS technology opens up the possibility of maximising the therapeutic potential of these drugs through retaining improved biological activity levels and enabling ‘needle free’ delivery options for our patients”.
Commenting from Crystec, Paul Thorning, CEO, said: “We are delighted to work with Biosidus in this important area of drug delivery. Our collaboration provides significant potential to demonstrate the power of the mSAS platform in simplifying biopharmaceutical processing, whilst facilitating the accelerated development of inhaled and nasal products that could be truly transformative for patients.”