18 Nov New Capsule Can Reside in Stomach and Deliver Drugs for Several Weeks After Single Ingestion
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Dr. Traverso
C. Giovanni Traverso, MB, BChir, PhD
Gastroenterologist and biomedical engineer
Division of Gastroenterology at BWH
Instructor of medicine at Harvard Medical School
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: We developed a drug delivery system capable of safely residing in the stomach for 2 weeks. Furthermore we demonstrated the capacity of the novel dosage form, in the shape of a star, to protect the drug from the acidic stomach environment and also slowly release drug over the course of 14 days.
We applied this new technology towards efforts targeting the elimination of malaria. Specifically, we focused on a drug called ivermectin that has been used to treat parasites but also has the benefit of being toxic to malaria-carrying mosquitos when they bite someone who has ivermectin in their system.
MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report?
Response: The development of a capsule capable of residing in the stomach safely and release drug continuously enables the dosing of drugs once a week or potentially once a month making it easier for patients to engage with their medication. Several studies have evaluated whether patients are more likely to take a medication once a day versus once a week and observed that when dosed once a week patients are more likely to take their medication.
Our new delivery systems can help address the problem of medication non-adherence which currently manifests in costs of greater than $100 billion annually in avoidable hospitalizations.
MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?
Response: We have developed the first orally administered capsules which can reside in the stomach and delivery drugs for several weeks following a single ingestion event.
MedicalResearch.com: Is there anything else you would like to add?
Comment from: Andrew Bellinger, MD, PhD
Chief Scientific Officer, Lyndra Co.
Lyndra is focusing on developing the delivery system described in the paper into the first ultra long acting oral delivery system that will fundamentally change the way patients take medicine. Lyndra’s product development effort focuses on therapeutic areas where improved compliance and pharmacokinetic benefits significantly improve patient outcome, including neuropsychiatric diseases, heart disease, renal disease among others.
MedicalResearch.com: Thank you for your contribution to the MedicalResearch.com community.
Citation:
Bellinger AM et al. Oral, ultra-long-lasting drug delivery: Application toward malaria elimination goals. Science Translational Medicine, November 2016
DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aag2374
Note: Content is Not intended as medical advice. Please consult your health care provider regarding your specific medical condition and questions.
More Medical Research Interviews on MedicalResearch.com
[wysija_form id=”5″]
Last Updated on November 20, 2016 by Marie Benz MD FAAD