New Drug Delivery Systems and Treatment Solutions Sought by Angelini Pharma

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The “New Drug Delivery Systems and Treatments for Improved Adherence and Better Management of Epilepsy” challenge was announced on June 28, 2024 by Angelini Pharma, a part of Angelini Industries in Rome, marking its second partnership with Wazoku, an innovation scale-up boasting a network of more than 700,000 experts in problem solving from scientists and pharmacists to CEOs, engineers, and PhD students (1).

The first pairing between Angelini and Wazoku, which launched a series that Angelini is calling the “Open Innovation Challenge,” sought solutions for new, digital approaches to target discovery in epilepsy (1). Angelini Pharma’s focus in research, development, and commercialization is primarily in the area of brain health—epilepsy included. One of the most prevalent worldwide neurological diseases, epilepsy affects approximately 50 million people and carries risks that include premature mortality at a rate nearly double the general population.

However, given that approximately 70% of people with epilepsy respond to treatments that reduce seizures and improve quality of life, new improvements for existing, available anti-seizure medications (of which there are currently around 30), drug delivery systems (DDS), and treatments are needed to increase adherence (1).

“Approximately one-third of people living with epilepsy face difficulties with anti-seizure medicine adherence, and this is particularly challenging for elderly and pediatric populations,” Rafal Kaminski, Angelini Pharma chief scientific officer, said. “Non-adherence can result in several serious consequences, including breakthrough seizures. This low adherence underscores the urgent need for more effective treatments that can better address the diverse needs of patients with epilepsy.”

“Open innovation is being used more and more in the pharmaceutical sector and its potential to deliver solutions to challenges is vast,” said Dino Ribic, an innovation consultant for Wazoku. “We have already completed one successful campaign with Angelini Pharma, and I await eagerly to see what is delivered this time.”

According to the submission page for the challenge, not only is Angelini seeking solutions that increase adherence from those who choose to participate, but also attention to factors such as age, genetics, and any potential side effects or drug-related aspects like safety, efficacy, pharmaceutical forms, and the optimal dosage (2).

At least one cash prize of $25,000 is guaranteed for the winning submission, with smaller prizes not less than $5000 potentially available for proposed solutions that partially meet the requirements set forth.

The “New Digital Approaches to Target Discovery in Epilepsy” challenge, the maiden partnership between Angelini and Wazoku, received 28 solution submissions, from which the two companies jointly selected four entries for awards. Wazoku said it has handled more than 2500 challenges previously, receiving more than 200,000 ideas for innovation (1).

The “New Drug Delivery Systems and Treatments for Improved Adherence and Better Management of Epilepsy” challenge closes on Aug. 26, 2024. Submissions can be made at angelinipharma.community.wazoku.com.

References

1. Angelini Industries. Angelini Pharma Launches New Crowd-Sourcing Challenge to Fund Innovative Solutions to Drug Adherence and Management of Epilepsy. Press Release. June 28, 2024.
2. Wazoku Crowd—Challenge Center. New Drug Delivery Systems and Treatments for Improved Adherence and Better Management of Epilepsy. angelinipharma.community.wazoku.com (accessed July 2, 2024).