Lupin’s U.S. subsidiary has picked up the rights to MonoSol Rx’s PharmFilm drug delivery technology, which is a dissolvable film for patients who have difficulty swallowing pills.
PharmFilm is a quick-dissolving platform for sublingual and buccal delivery designed to make oral drugs more convenient. It also boasts the potential for reduced drug load when compared with pills and can be better tolerated in a patient’s GI tract, according to MonoSol Rx.
The platform already holds an FDA approval, and can be found in Midatech’s Zuplenz for nausea and vomiting and Indivior’s Suboxone for opioid dependence. With Lupin’s specialty in generics and pediatric treatments, the delivery method could boost its patient base significantly.
“At Lupin, we are motivated by addressing urgent, unmet medical needs--and helping children and their families ensure they are able to access, tolerate and successfully take the medicines they need is a clear part of that mission,” Lupin President Paul McGarty said. “Our alliance with MonoSol Rx will enable us to expand our family of pediatric products to help meet the needs of children for a variety of indications. We look forward to working with MonoSol Rx on the development of these products.”
The terms of the agreement remain undisclosed.
“We believe PharmFilm technology holds great promise for pediatric applications--enabling increased compliance and adherence in a difficult to treat population,” MonoSol CEO Keith Kendall said. “By partnering with Lupin, whose commitment to support and expand within the pediatric and family-focused market matches our own commitment to helping pediatric patients and their families, we are taking a critical step forward in developing valuable and much-needed products.”