Featured Articles

MODIFIED RELEASE - Getting the Right Formula: Using Modified-Release Formulations to Address Complex Challenges in Drug Development

Vanessa Zann, PhD, presents the opportunities and challenges when transitioning from an IR to MR formulation, and reviews the therapeutic benefits and challenges associated with MR formulations, GI physiology environments and API physicochemical properties, technology choices, and how drug developers can achieve translation success.

EXECUTVE INTERVIEW - Aptar: Advancing Patient-Centric Drug Delivery & Digital Health Solutions

Gael Touya, President of Aptar Pharma, and Sai Shankar, President, M&A, Strategy, BD, Marketing, Drug Services, Aptar Pharma, discuss the burgeoning potential in the future of pharma and digital health, how the company is a strategic partner to key players in these spaces, and the investments Aptar is making to support the growing demand.

DRUG DELIVERY - Advancements in Transdermal Delivery Systems: A Focus on Invisicare® Technology for Obesity Treatment

James A. Roszell, PhD, and Doreen McMorran demonstrate how this technology has demonstrated potential in the transdermal administration of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists and cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB-1) antagonists, primarily targeting obesity management and other conditions requiring glucose regulation.

FORMULATION FORUM - Lyophilization Technology - An Enabler for Stable Formulations of Small & Large Molecules

Shaukat Ali, PhD, and Jim Huang, PhD, explain how lyophilization or freeze-drying technology is one of the ideal methods that leads to immobilization of drug and other components that remain in solid or powder state for extended periods without concerns of degradation, and how it has also been applied to improve drug solubility by means of amorphous solid dispersions.

TOPICAL DELIVERY - Direct Effects™ Perampanel (FYCOMPA®): First Topical Anticonvulsant to Treat Seizures, Headache & Other Symptoms in Epilepsy

Ronald Aung-Din, MD, Sasha Feygin, and Daniele La Rosa say Direct Effects topical perampanel is effective in treating headache and other neurological symptoms commonly encountered in patients with seizures and other conditions in which neuronal instability and hyper-excitability exist.

FORMULATION DEVELOPMENT - Practical & Purposeful: Creating Novel Compounds Via Rediscovery R&D & Cannabinoid Molecules

Mark Bleackley, PhD, says as time goes on, more companies will discover the benefits of drug repurposing – and how to successfully use such strategies to develop new, patentable drug products. In fact, repurposing could be exactly what’s needed to enable pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to more swiftly develop treatments for indications with significant unmet medical needs.

SMI TECHNOLOGY - How Soft Mist Inhalers Support Improved Biopharma Drug Delivery

Nicolas Buchmann, PhD, explores the opportunities and challenges of developing biologic formulations for delivery via SMIs and discusses the importance and impact of partnerships between inhalation device development experts when it comes to facilitating the innovation needed to expand the suitability of SMIs to a wider range of biopharma formulations.

PRECLINICAL/CLINICAL STUDIES - Preclinical Toxicology vs Clinical: Key Considerations in Using Lipid-Based Formulations

Anette Müllertz, PhD, Grace Furman, PhD, and Lisa Caralli say developers should first understand the developability challenges for their molecule, then a toolkit of enabling technologies can be identified to overcome those factors and individually leveraged to create fit for purpose formulations for use in preclinical and clinical studies.