As a detailed understanding of the human body grows, it opens the door to a world of new drugs that involve much more complex molecules. These drugs, often simply called biologics, are the product of biological processes, and can be made up of such things as complex proteins or even living cells. These remarkable new drugs can biologically interact with living organisms in ways that simple molecules cannot. As such, they offer significant new therapeutic potential for many diseases and represent the leading edge in drug research. The drug filgrastim, for example, is a common biologic valuable for its ability to promote white blood cell growth, a critical part of certain cancer treatments.
But there’s a problem with biologics. Because of their molecular complexity, many of them cannot be taken orally. The human digestive process would break down the long molecules before they had a chance to perform their therapeutic function. As a result, biologics must almost always be given intravenously. However, in cases where multiple injections are required, that can mean having patients constantly traveling to a doctor’s office for unpleasant shots, or even having patients taking on the potentially risky process of administering shots themselves. Transdermal patches have been considered, but have limitations in the types of drugs the current technology can administer.
A flexible solution to the problem of giving needed non-oral drugs without shots is being addressed by TheraKine Ltd., a partner of Rainbow Coral. The company has developed an injectable sustained release technology that can allow any biological drug to be formulated for months of stability and controlled release. It’s a game-changing technology that can be applied to a variety of delivery approaches, such as topical use, local injection, depot forms, and even catheter or arthroscopic delivery.
RBCC has partnered with TheraKine to identify healthcare providers with potential clients for TheraKine’s new sustained-release delivery system.
For additional information, visit www.RainbowbioSciences.com
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