An important function of Ferring’s pharmaceutical development work is to develop drug delivery options for new drug candidates and product line extensions, with a special focus on patient-friendly dosage forms.
In order to expand the field of application for Ferring’s compounds, the company is actively researching the development of many new and different drug delivery systems. Ferring focuses on developing various technologies and delivery devices for the following routes of administration:
Oral
Oral delivery is one of the most attractive and preferred routes for administering medicines, due to its convenience and patient acceptability. In Ferring, delivery technologies for the immediate and controlled release of active substances are researched and developed.
Parenteral
Parenteral delivery (injections) is a very important delivery system for peptide-based medications and proteins that may not be able to be administered to patients in any other way.
A special dosage form being developed is the parenteral controlled release of drug substances for long term treatment and Ferring have developed know-how in polylactic polyglycolic (PLPG) microspheres for DECAPEPTYL (triptorelin) one-month depot injection.
Another example is the GnRH blocker, degarelix (FIRMAGON), which is a self-depoting GnRH antagonist for both one-month and three-month duration of action.
Other
Beside parenteral and oral delivery, alternative routes such as nasal, rectal and transdermal techniques (such as no-needle ‘injections’) are used where applicable.
Ferring’s scientists are actively using several drug delivery platforms to overcome a range of needs. Fertility hormones, peptides and peptidomimetics, for instance, pose intriguing challenges for formulation scientists.
Various presentations have been created for the product PENTASA (5-ASA/mesalazine), including an oral controlled release formulation that enables the active product to be available throughout the entire length of the digestive tract to treat the inflammatory bowel diseases of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.