Capsugel launches new capsule for enteric protection

Leader in dosage forms and solutions Capsugel, has announced the launch of its Vcaps Enteric capsules.

The new functional capsule technology protects the stomach from irritations and achieves delayed release, without the need for functional coating.

The capsules primary structure is formed by enteric polymers and can accelerate speed to the market while reducing costs, Capsugel claims. Intrinsically enteric capsule technologies allow formulators to avoid coating preparation, application and validation, which greatly simplifies preclinical and clinical studies for compounds requiring enteric protection or delayed release.

Keith Hutchison, senior vice president of Research and Development, Capsugel, said: “Finding better ways to deliver drugs to the small intestine, formulate acid-sensitive active ingredients and protect the stomach are significant challenges for the biopharmaceutical industry. Capsugel’s new Vcaps Enteric capsules provide a novel and highly accessible solution to address these challenges. Our leadership in polymer science and capsule engineering continues to generate technologies that may help reduce the variability, complexity and risk associated with drug product development.  In this case, we are standardizing the enteric barrier and bypassing the need for film coat development and the process scale-up steps that can be involved with enteric coating.”

Vcaps Enteric capsules are suited for delivery of a wide range of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), while the ‘entrinsic’ drug delivery technology is an ideal solution for APIs with high acid or enzyme sensitivity, such as certain peptides, proteins, vaccines and microbiomes.  Both solutions are composed of approved pharmaceutical grades of cellulose-based derivatives with extensive market precedence of providing enteric protection.