MilliporeSigma, InnoCore to Partner on Biodegradable Drug Delivery Platform

MilliporeSigma and InnoCore Pharmaceuticals, a company that specializes in formulation, process development, and manufacturing of injectable drug delivery products, have entered into a global cooperation agreement to commercialize InnoCore’s proprietary SynBiosys biodegradable polymer platform. The drug delivery platform can be used to develop sustained release solutions for biologicals in injectable formulations.

According to MilliporeSigma, sustained release solutions play an increasingly important role in drug formulation because they increase patient adherence. InnoCore’s new technology allows the development of injectable, sustained-release biological formulations with conserved bioactivity of these sensitive molecules. The platform can be used for subcutaneous, intramuscular, and site-specific injectable formulations in the form of microparticles and implants.

MilliporeSigma and InnoCore will support customers with formulation, process development, and manufacturing services in using this technology to develop injectable, sustained-release drug products and overcome formulation challenges, especially for large peptides and proteins. 

This new, large biomolecule formulation and delivery capability complements MilliporeSigma’s existing portfolio of biodegradable polylactic acid and polylactic glycolic acid (PLA/PLGA) polymers for sustained release in liquid/parenteral formulations, the company reports. The PLA/PLGA technology applies primarily to small molecules, small hormones, and peptides.

“Until now, formulating large biological active pharmaceutical ingredients such as proteins and large peptides into long acting sustained release formulations has been difficult, if not impossible,” said Andrew Bulpin, head of process solutions at the Life Science business sector of MilliporeSigma, in a July 26, 2018 press release. “This collaboration will bring long-acting release of protein therapeutics to market, allowing new and potentially life-changing treatments. It will also improve patient compliance by reducing dosing frequency and maintaining drugs at therapeutic levels longer.”

According to GlobalData pharma analyst Rahael Maladwala, this collaboration may be an important step forward for biologic drug delivery. “Sustained release drugs for small-molecule drugs are common place in the pharmaceutical market; however, this type of technology has not been seen before for biologic molecules and would increase compliance by reducing the dosing frequency.”

“If [MilliporeSigma] can successfully utilize this drug delivery system in the future, their drugs would be at a significant advantage to others on the market and would help fasten their uptake,” Maladwala said in an August 3, 2018 press statement. “Moving forward, it is likely that we see other pharmaceutical companies look to collaborate with companies such as InnoCore, to help address environmental unmet needs such as compliance, and with increased compliance comes fewer patient complications, which saves physician time and reduces the cost on the healthcare provider.”

Source: MilliporeSigma, Global Data