Glide Pharma announces third new pharma partner for 2008 at BIO,
strengthening its biologics pipeline
Oxford, UK, 17th June 2008 – Specialty pharma company, Glide Pharma, today
announced at BIO2008 that it has signed agreements with two more partners to
evaluate the Glide SDI™ - Solid Dose Injector. This follows a deal in
February with another leading pharmaceutical company for the delivery of one
of its branded peptide products. The Glide SDI is now in feasibility studies
with five partners, including two of the top 10 pharma companies.
The latest studies involve biologics and include a major vaccine company and
a listed US biotech company for a home-delivered product. Responding to the
latest developments Glide Pharma’s CEO, Dr Charles Potter, said, “There is
particular interest in the Glide SDI system for the injection of
biopharmaceuticals and vaccines. The key benefits of the Glide SDI include
improved stability of the solid dose, ease-of-use because the system is so
simple and there are no reconstitution steps, and safety, as there is no
danger of needle-stick injuries. With these benefits, we believe that the
Glide SDI is set to make major improvements in the injection of biologics,
in a market which is predicted to grow to over $50 billion by 2012”.
In parallel with the partnering successes, Glide Pharma is also working with
the UK’s National Institute of Biological Standards and Control (NISBC) that
has been
conducting studies on vaccine administration using formulations developed by
Glide Pharma. Preliminary data suggest enhanced efficacy for vaccines
delivered
by the Glide SDI compared with those delivered traditionally in a liquid
formulation using a needle and syringe. Further trials are being undertaken
to confirm these potentially very significant findings.
With an increasing number of projects under way, Glide Pharma is currently
expanding its facilities at Milton Park, near Oxford, UK, to cope with the
increasing demand. “Our work up until this year has focused mainly on
development and production of the Glide SDI and our internal drug
development programmes, particularly octreotide and fentanyl”, concluded
Potter. “2008 has really been the turning point for us in terms of
attracting external partners that want to apply the Glide technology to
their products. We are expecting to sign further evaluation agreements, as
well as convert those that we have to full development relationships, over
the coming months.”
- ENDS –
www.glidepharma.com
Editor’s Notes
Glide Pharma is a specialty pharma company focused on easy, safe and
convenient solid dose injection of therapeutics and vaccines. Using its
proprietary Glide SDI™ (Solid Dose Injector) system, Glide Pharma is
building a pipeline of in-house and partnered products covering small
molecules, peptides, proteins and vaccines.
In 2007, Glide Pharma was the winner of the prestigious Best Business Award
at the Medical Futures Innovation Awards for its Glide SDI.
The Glide SDI is an innovative needle-free drug injection system that allows
the delivery of drugs, vaccines and other active pharmaceutical ingredients
in a solid dosage form. The Glide actuator uses a spring mechanism to push
solid drugs through the skin into the underlying tissue where they dissolve
and are released into the patient’s bloodstream. The device is simple to use
making it ideal for the self administration of drugs in the home
environment. The system comprises a reusable, spring powered actuator and a
pre-filled, disposable drug cassette. The used drug cassette can be disposed
of with normal household waste and replaced with a fresh cassette holding
the next dose. In the clinic, volunteers overwhelmingly stated that they
preferred an injection with the Glide SDI to an injection with a standard
needle and syringe. Storing drugs in a solid dosage form typically makes
them more stable and therefore refrigeration may not be essential, as is
often the case with liquid formulations. The solid dosage form also enables
immediate or controlled release of the drug into the blood stream, reducing
the need for multiple injections.
Company enquiries
Glide Pharmaceutical Technologies Limited
Dr Simon Bennett,
+44 (0)8700 853 708, +44 (0)7768 014 597
Email: simon.bennett@glidepharma.com.
Media enquiries
Alto Marketing Limited
David Robinson +44 (0)1489 557672
Email: davidr@alto-marketing.com
