iX Biopharma Ltd., a specialty pharmaceutical company, has announced that it has been granted a European patent (no. 2493457) for its WaferiX drug delivery technology.

The grant allows iX Biopharma to obtain validation and coverage in the countries that currently make up the EU. For a start, iX Biopharma has proceeded to apply for coverage in 16 of these countries, namely Germany, France, United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Turkey, Switzerland, Sweden, Poland, Belgium, Austria, Norway, Denmark, Ireland and Finland.

WaferiX is a fast-dissolving, proprietary wafer formulation that allows pharmacologically active compounds, such as ketamine and sildenafil, to be administered sublingually (i.e., placed under the tongue) and delivered safely, conveniently and rapidly into the blood stream.

iX Biopharma employs the WaferiX technology in the development of innovative therapies that improve the quality of life. The technology offers a non-invasive, pain-free alternative to traditional routes of drug administration such as intravenous drips, injections and oral intake. Key advantages of WaferiX include the reduction of the effect of first-pass metabolism, rapid onset of action, better side effect profile, easy administration, improved patient compliance and a better storage profile.

The WaferiX technology is used to develop many of the products in iX Biopharma’s pipeline. Wafermine, its lead pharmaceutical product, leverages the sublingual platform to incorporate ketamine and is being developed for the management of moderate to severe pain. The Group has also recently launched WafeRest, a sublingual melatonin wafer supplement, in Singapore.

iX Biopharma Ltd is a Singapore public-listed specialty pharmaceutical company, operating a fully integrated business model from drug development to laboratory testing, manufacturing and supply, with facilities in Australia.