Bend Research Inc., a leading independent drug-formulation development and manufacturing company, has received two new US patents related to its pioneering efforts to improve the oral bioavailability of low-solubility drugs.

The patents protect compositions and processes for making spray-dried dispersions (SDDs) that enhance the absorption of low-solubility drugs.  The patents cover SDDs made with an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose acetate succinate (HPMCAS), a polymer that is also known as hypromellose acetate succinate.

Demand is high for this technology, since more than 40 per cent of drugs in development are estimated to have low aqueous solubility. The HPMCAS SDDs enable the use of lower drug doses to achieve effective therapies for low-solubility drugs. The technology works by sustaining high concentrations of drug in patients’ gastrointestinal tracts.

“These patents offer important protection for this vital technology,” said Bend Research CEO Rod Ray. “Our goal is to provide a growing patent portfolio for our customers’ use in protecting their investments in advancing low-solubility compounds to the market.”

The patents are among a growing number of formulation- and process-related patents associated with Bend Research’s solubility-enhancing drug-formulation technologies. These solubilization technologies enhance the concentration of drug in patients’ bloodstreams and enable faster drug dissolution than is possible with crystalline drug forms.

The patents, which are both titled “Solid Pharmaceutical Dispersions with Enhanced Bioavailability,” were assigned Patent Nos. 8,257,741 and 8,263,128 by the US Patent and Trademark Office. The inventors are William Curatolo, Scott Herbig, and Jim Nightingale. Both patents are the result of work funded by Pfizer Inc. and are assigned to Bend Research Inc.