Catalent and Rutgers University to Study Pediatric Drug Challenges

The Catalent Applied Drug Delivery Institute and the Department of Pharmacy Practice at Rutgers University (NJ) announced a collaboration to identify and address the specific challenges of pediatric formulation and drug delivery.

The goal of the collaboration, announced in a press release on July 20, 2017, is to identify therapies and diseases for which there is a high need for pediatric-friendly formulations, and to build awareness for targeted translational research for this underserved patient group, Catalent reports.

The groups will research the development and administration of medicines to children, including the prevalence of extemporaneous compounding of drug products for ease of administration to pediatric patients, and any safety and efficacy consequences.

"Clinical experience has shown us that current pediatric drug formulations are often difficult to administer to children and increase the likelihood for a medication error when compared with adult formulations. There is a clear need for research in this area, to further elucidate the gaps in drug delivery for young children, and in order to improve therapeutic outcomes and the patient experience," commented Rachel Meyers, clinical associate professor in the Pharmacy Practice Department at the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers University in the press statement.

“This continues to expand the academically productive relationship that exists between Catalent and the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy,” added Joseph Barone, Dean and Professor II at the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy.

“Through this exciting partnership, we will examine and highlight the unmet scientific, clinical, and patient needs, and look to develop a suitable pediatric-specific drug formulation toolkit to address them,” added Dr. Cornell Stamoran, founder of the Catalent Applied Drug Delivery Institute and Catalent’s VP Strategy. “Most initiatives focus on individual new drugs or disease areas-we’re collaborating to identify a broad platform, founded on rigorous stakeholder insights, to establish a foundation for future pediatric drug development.

Source: Catalent Pharma Solutions