KTP Funding to Support Specialised Oral Dosage Development

In partnership with Glyndwr University, Quay Pharma has received a KTP (Knowledge Transfer Partnership) Award that will provide funding towards the development of a formulation to aid the oral administration of medicines to paediatric and geriatric patients. The funding is being supplied by the Welsh Government and the Technology Strategy Board.

Quay Pharma is a leading global provider of contract formulation and clinical trials manufacturing to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies worldwide. The company’s extensive range of services includes early stage (pre-clinical) formulation development, drug delivery design, analytical R&D development, stability testing and clinical trial manufacture and packaging of new drug compounds.  

Quay has particular expertise in oral dosage form design and semi solids formulation development, in particular drugs that exhibit poor solubility and bio-availability. The company’s experience in developing NCEs for paediatric and geriatric delivery has highlighted the challenges that patients and carers face when trying to dose both liquid and solid medicines to the young and elderly and the problems these populations can have when swallowing tablets and capsules. With the requirement that new drug developments take into account paediatric dosing and the fact that the number of people over 65 in the UK is forecast to grow by 65% in the next 25 years, finding drug delivery solutions that are adapted specifically for these populations is becoming more critical.

Quay chose to work with Professor Peter Williams at the Glyndwr University, Centre for Water Soluble Polymers, because of the department’s extensive knowledge of polymer and colloid chemistry gathered from working with many industries including food, biotechnology and pharmaceutical. Using the department’s experience in surface chemistry and polymer characterisation, together with its own formulation expertise, Quay is seeking to develop a novel, semi-solid dosage form that is easy to dose via a spoon or other dosing medium as well as being easy to swallow. The aim of the project will be to achieve a platform technology that can be used to administer various active drug products or combinations and that will be globally acceptable from a pharmaceutical and regulatory perspective.

“This is an important project that will deliver benefits throughout the pharmaceutical industry,” commented Quay Pharma CEO Maireadh Pedersen. “Finding an easier dosing form for geriatric and paediatric medicines offers huge opportunities for future drug development. We are delighted to be working with Glyndwr University to help make this a reality and the KTP funding will provide invaluable support.”

Quay Pharma, +44 151 203 9800, enquiries@quaypharma.com, www.quaypharma.com.