LEO Pharma and Portal Instruments Announce Collaboration to Develop Needle-Free Drug Delivery Device

LEO Pharma A/S and Portal Instruments recently announced a global collaboration and license agreement to develop Portal’s innovative needle-free drug delivery system for use in combination with LEO Pharma’s portfolio of investigational and approved medicines.

Portal Instruments has developed a needle-free jet injector platform to address the increasing needs of patients to self-administer biologics without the need for needles. This simplifies administration, eliminates the need for “sharps containers” in the home, and reduces the time needed to perform self-injections. This technology is particularly timely in light of the increasing use of monoclonal antibodies and therapeutic proteins in drug development. Initially developed by Prof. Ian Hunter’s Group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the Portal drug administration technology has the potential to transform the way injectable medicines are administered across a wide range of therapeutic indications.

The Portal needle-free system is composed of a re-usable, software-controlled handheld injection device and a proprietary, single-use, pre-filled cartridge. It delivers the medicine through a pressurized liquid jet instead of a needle and has been clinically shown to be less painful and preferred by patients as compared to a standard needle-based injection.¹

“LEO Pharma’s novel therapies in the field of medical dermatology combined with Portal’s innovative approach to drug administration offer hope to people living with debilitating skin diseases,” said Christian Antoni, Senior Vice President, Global Development at LEO Pharma. “It is our ambition that this collaboration will lead to new and easier ways for people with skin diseases to administer our treatments on their own in the comfort of their home with a needle-free solution.”

“We are excited at the prospect of working closely with LEO Pharma and support their ambition to empower people with skin diseases with a next-generation drug delivery platform for self-administration,” said Patrick Anquetil, CEO of Portal. “This commercial collaboration gives us the opportunity to lead with innovation in the field of medical dermatology by combing novel medicines with a patient-preferred needle-free drug delivery system.”

LEO Pharma helps people achieve healthy skin. The company is a leader in medical dermatology with a robust R&D pipeline, a wide range of therapies and a pioneering spirit. Founded in 1908 and owned by the LEO Foundation, LEO Pharma has devoted decades of research and development to advance the science of dermatology, setting new standards of care for people with skin conditions. LEO Pharma is headquartered in Denmark with a global team of 6,000 people, serving 76 million patients in 130 countries. For more information, please visit www.leo-pharma.com.

Portal Instruments is a venture-backed medical device company, developing and commercializing a connected, needle-free drug delivery platform to transform the administration of medications for chronic diseases.  Portal aims to improve the patient experience and outcomes through an innovative needle-free injector with connectivity, analytics, and a companion digital experience. Portal partners with pharmaceutical companies to develop unique drug delivery solutions for their therapies. Its first commercial partnership is with Takeda Pharmaceuticals in the field of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. Portal Instruments’ Quality Management System is ISO 13485 certified. For more information, please visit www.portalinstruments.com or follow @portalcambridge on Twitter.

^[1] Kojic, et al.  An Innovative Needle-free Injection System: Comparison to 1 ml Standard, 1 May 2017, AAPS PharmSciTech (# 2017)