R&D Drug Delivey Technologies at Athena
Our commitment to advancing healthcare knows no bounds. Our Research and Development (R&D) division stands as the vanguard of innovation, tirelessly pursuing groundbreaking solutions that redefine the future of medicine.
ORO-DISPERSIBLE TABLETS
US-FDA defines ODT tablets as “A solid dosage form containing medicinal substances which disintegrates rapidly usually within a matter of seconds, when placed upon the tongue”.
European pharmacopoeia also adopted the term “orodispersible tablet” as a tablet that is to be placed in the mouth where it disperses, rapidly before swallowing.
Oro-dispersible tablets are solid unit dosage forms like conventional tablets, but are composed of super disintegrants, which help them to dissolve the tablets within a minute in the mouth in the presence of saliva without any difficulty of swallowing.
Its ease of administration in the population especially for pediatric, geriatric, or any mentally retarded persons makes it a very popular dosage form.
Athena is a leader in developing oral dispersible products.. Using its Fastmelt® platform, the company today commercially sells at 10+ products developed on this platform technology globally.
Advantages of ODT:
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Ease of administration to patients who cannot swallow, such as the aged, stroke victims and bedridden patients; patients who should not swallow, such as renal failure patients; and who refuse to swallow, such as paediatrics, geriatric and psychiatric patients.
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Improved patient compliance.
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No water needed for administration.
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No chewing needed once administered
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Rapid onset of action
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Improved taste of medication
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Improved stability.
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Allows high drug loading.
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Ability to provide advantages of liquid medication in the form of solid preparation.
FIXED DOSE COMBINATIONS
Combination products, also known as fixed dose drug combinations (FDCs), are combinations of two or more active drugs in a single dosage form.
The Food and Drug Administration, USA defines a combination product as a product composed of any combination of a drug and a device or a biological product and a device or a drug and a biological product or a drug, device, and a biological product.
FDC drug products are known to improve medication compliance of Patients by reducing the pill burden of patients, as well as giving the inherent advantages of combination therapy.
Advantages of Fixed Dose Combination:
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Simpler dosage schedule giving excellent patient compliance and therefore improves treatment outcomes.
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Reduces inadvertent medication errors.
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Synergistic effects on the dosage regimen.
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Greater efficacy compared with higher dose monotherapy
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Reduced risk of adverse reactions relative to higher dose monotherapy
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Improved medication concordance.
MODIFIED DRUG RELEASE TECHNOLOGY
Modified drug release is a mechanism that delivers a drug with a delay after its administration (delayed-release dosage) or for a prolonged period of time (extended-release [ER, XR, XL] dosage) or to a specific target in the body (targeted-release dosage).
Modified-release dosage and its variants are mechanisms used in tablets (pills) and capsules to dissolve a drug over time in order to be released more slowly and steadily into the bloodstream, while having the advantage of being taken at less frequent intervals than immediate-release (IR) formulations of the same drug.
Extended-release dosage consists of either sustained-release (SR) or controlled-release (CR) dosage. SR maintains drug release over a sustained period but not at a constant rate. CR maintains drug release over a sustained period at a nearly constant rate.
Advantages of Modified Drug Release Technology:
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Improved efficacy
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Reduced adverse events
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Increased convenience, patient compliance and performance.
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Sustained blood level
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Protecting acid sensitive drugs
EFFERVESCENT TECHNOLOGY
Effervescent formulations are solid immediate release forms that need to be dissolved in water at the time of administration.
Effervescent tablets dissolve upon contact with water to release carbon dioxide. They yield an oral solution or suspension depending on API solubility.
In both cases, the API is ready for absorption in the gastrointestinal system resulting in a fast on set of action, critical in treating acute symptoms such as pain.
Advantages of Effervescent Technology:
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Distributed More Evenly
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Increased Liquid Intake
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Easy Alternative to Regular Tablets
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Simple and Easy to Measure
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Fast on set of action
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Aids in reducing the risk of drug-induced esophagitis