Apricus Biosciences has released new data on the NexACT technology, based on research conducted by, and at, the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers-The State University of New Jersey in Piscataway, New Jersey.
The article, published in International Journal of Pharmaceutics, entitled, ‘Enhanced in vitro Transbuccal Drug Delivery of Ondansetron HCl,’ highlights NexACT enhancers’ ability to significantly improve permeation of ondansetron, a drug used to treat nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy and post surgery, through porcine buccal tissue.
NexACT utilises biodegradable excipients, that when incorporated into drug formulations, has demonstrated the ability to help overcome the body’s natural barrier properties and thereby enable rapid penetration of higher concentrations of active drug directly through the skin and major biological membranes, resulting in more effective delivery of therapies.
Apricus claims that the data shows that DDAIP.HCl, one of the NexACT technology’s enhancers, provided the best improvements when compared to other enhancers (Azone, Iminosulfurane) and other technologies (iontophoresis).
The highest concentration of NexACT enhancer tested (5%) did not affect the viability of the buccal cells, suggesting a safe range for clinical use.
Apricus Bio president and CEO Bassam Damaj said that the buccal route of delivery represents an additional, new application of NexACT that potentially enables to deliver drugs that cannot be delivered via the oral, intravenous or transdermal route.
Apricus said that NexACT has shown in studies to efficiently enable the delivery of drugs across different classes and over a wide range of indications via transdermal, oral, subcutaneous, rectal and buccal routes of administration.