TECHNOLOGY |
OVERVIEW |
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Egalet Ltd. has developed and patented two innovative technologies, Egalet® and Parvulet® and is working to create additional drug delivery technologies targeting various unmet needs within the pharmaceutical field.
- Biodegradable coat
- Matrix, comprising the active drug, which is:
- - surface erodible
- - composed by standard pharmaceutical polymers and excipients
- Unique, user-friendly shape
- Manufactured using precise injection moulding - allowing low cost of production
- Dispensed in an appealing way to the patient
- Can be taste-masked individually
- Easy to swallow
- System independent of the actual active ingredient
- Long stability as no water present
- Provides fast or delayed action
- Minimal preparation time
- Easy to use for the child/elderly leading to improved compliance
These enabling technologies combine advanced engineering with significantly improved drug kinetics and bioavailability to produce novel therapeutics that offer considerable benefits to both regulators, physicians and patients.
Egalet® Technology
Egalet Ltd. has pioneered one of the world’s first erosion-based delivery technologies. The Egalet® technology enables the controlled release of drugs through gradual erosion of a tablet. The uniquely shaped, user-friendly tablet consists of a coat and a matrix. By altering the composition of the coat and matrix, two versions of the Egalet® technology have been created, Prolonged Release and Delayed Release.
The Egalet® systems consist of two or more components: coat and one or more matrices. The drug is distributed throughout the matrix, which is eroded by gut movements and gastrointestinal fluids as it passes through the gut. The drug release mechanism is surface erosion, effected through water diffusion, polymer hydration, disentanglement, and dissolution. The matrix is designed to erode when in contact with available water but, at the same time, it is desirable that water does not diffuse into the matrix until the point of release, thus avoiding hydrolysis and diffusion and reducing the effects of luminal enzymatic activity. The entrapment in the Egalet® matrix also protects the active compounds from oxygen and humidity and therefore the technology is suited for chemically unstable substances and thus is able to increase shelf-life of the drug product.
An additional attribute of the erosion based system is its ability to deliver water-insoluble compounds in a controlled manner.
The shell is biodegradable but with a disintegrating profile making the shell last longer than the matrix.
Parvulet® Technology
The Parvulet® technology is a formulation that is suitable for dispensing to both pediatric and geriatric patients. Drugs contained in the Parvulet® technology are dispensed as a dry powder or granules that on exposure to a small amount of water turns into a tasty, soft textured, “pudding like” mass in less than 15 seconds. The formulated drug can also be incorporated into a familiar carrier, such as a spoon, with the water being added just before administration.