Chemotherapy as a tablet instead of an intravenous infusion
New production method for solid dispersions of docetaxel and paclitaxel.
On 29 March 2017, Dutch pharmacist Emilia Sawicki will be defending her doctoral thesis in which she describes how some anticancer medicines can be formulated in such a way that patients take chemotherapy orally as a tablet, rather than as an intravenous infusion at the hospital. One of the anticancer medicines for which she developed a tablet formulation is the widely used drug docetaxel. The formulation is a tablet which is made as a ‘solid dispersion’, and was co-developed by Sawicki at the Slotervaart Medical Centre and the Netherlands Cancer Institute – Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital in Amsterdam. The discovery has already progressed to an advanced stage in the clinical development: shortly, a clinical trial will be opened at several Dutch hospitals where patients with prostate cancer will be treated with the solid dispersion tablet of docetaxel.
Anticancer medicines are increasingly being used as capsules or tablets. Oral medicines are more patient-friendly than the traditional way of administration the chemotherapy as an intravenous infusion. Patients can take the medicine at home as a tablet and no longer have to travel to a hospital to receive chemotherapy. One of the requirements is that the anticancer medicine dissolves in water in order to be effectively taken up in the blood. Dissolution is better if a ‘solid dispersion’ is used: a mixture of tiny particles of powdered medication, which dissolve faster and better in water than larger particles, such as crystalline powders.
In her doctoral thesis ‘Solid dispersions in oncology: a solution to solubility-limited oral drug absorption’, Sawicki describes a new production method for solid dispersions of docetaxel and paclitaxel, two anticancer medicines that are often prescribed to patients with prostate cancer, breast cancer and lung cancer. For example, docetaxel is prescribed approximately 24,000 times a year to cancer patients in the Netherlands. As a solid form docetaxel and paclitaxel are not well absorbed in the blood. This is because they are very poorly soluble in water and because they are broken down by enzymes in the gastrointestinal tract and liver. The solid dispersion method increases the dissolution of docetaxel and paclitaxel 40 to 100 times and when co-administered with enzyme inhibitor ritonavir these anticancer medicines are then effectively absorbed in the blood. As a result, many patients experience a highly promising anticancer effect.
Moreover, the production method for the solid dispersion tablet of docetaxel is suitable to supply the medicine on a large scale and this makes it possible to conduct large clinical trials. Amsterdam-based biopharmaceutical company Modra Pharmaceuticals is launching shortly several clinical trials with the solid dispersion tablet of docetaxel.
In addition, Sawicki also used the solid dispersion technique to develop a tablet formulation of elacridar, a medicine predominantly used in studies focusing on brain tumours, since elacridar promotes the absorption of other anticancer medicines in the brain.
Related News
-
News BioNTech to begin mRNA vaccine manufacturing in Rwanda by 2025
German biotechnology company BioNTech has stated their intentions to begin production at their mRNA vaccine factory in Rwanda by 2025, which will mark the first foreign mRNA vaccine manufacturing site on the continent of Africa. -
News Identifying Alzheimer’s Disease biomarker proteins with whole blood tests
A University of Manchester spin-out pharmaceutical company, PharmaKure, has reported successful study results for the quantification of Alzheimer’s Disease biomarker proteins with a whole blood test. -
News Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to boost mRNA vaccine initiatives in Africa with USD $40m
To address vaccine inequality and accessibility issues, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation aims to deliver USD $40m to various biotech companies and vaccine manufacturers in support of mRNA vaccine development. -
News CPHI Podcast Series: Exploring neurological frontiers in Alzheimer's and beyond
The next episode of the CPHI Podcast Series delves into the science and background behind some recent developments in the field of Alzheimer's disease and neurological disorders. -
News Is patient centricity the future of pharmaceutical manufacturing?
In this interview with Sandra Sánchez y Oldenhage, President of PharmAdvice, she speaks to the importance of considering patients in the manufacturing stages of the pharmaceutical supply chain, and how it can redefine healthcare. -
News CPHI Podcast Series: How to leverage AI for Drug Discovery
Artificial intelligence is the topic of debate in the latest episode from the CPHI Podcast Series, where Digital Editor Lucy Chard speaks with Bill Whitford of DPS Group about the integration of AI in healthcare. -
News Pfizer forges ahead with blood cancer therapy after approval from FDA
Pfizer gains accelerated approval from the US FDA for their new bispecific antibody therapy for multiple myeloma, set to address an unmet need for patients. -
News Alzheimer's drug donanemab deemed effective in landmark clinical trial
Results from the TRAILBLAZER-ALZ 2 Randomised Clinical Trial into the use of donanemab to treat early symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease have been analysed.
Position your company at the heart of the global Pharma industry with a CPHI Online membership
-
Your products and solutions visible to thousands of visitors within the largest Pharma marketplace
-
Generate high-quality, engaged leads for your business, all year round
-
Promote your business as the industry’s thought-leader by hosting your reports, brochures and videos within your profile
-
Your company’s profile boosted at all participating CPHI events
-
An easy-to-use platform with a detailed dashboard showing your leads and performance