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European BioPharmaceutical Review

Biopharmaceuticals: A Special Breed of Drugs

Biopharmaceuticals are protein or glycoprotein based drugs. They are high molecular weight molecules. Their therapeutic performance strongly depends on their secondary and tertiary structure that is stabilised mainly by non-covalent, rather weak forces. Changes in structure may lead to loss of therapeutic effect and safety concerns, such as the introduction of immune reactions against the biopharmaceutical.

With their delicate and fragile structure, biopharmaceuticals have to be treated differently than most small organic molecules (SOM) used as drugs. This special treatment not only applies to the different stages of the drug development process, but also to their production and handling by pharmaceutical and medical professionals and, last but not least, the patient (1). In the following contribution the focus will be on the challenges biopharmaceuticals offer to the formulation scientist.


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By Dr Michael I Ugwoke, Scientist Formulation Development/Project Leader at OctoPlus Development BV and Professor Daan JA Crommelin, Dean of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Scientific Director of the Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences (UIPS), and Scientific Director at OctoPlus Development BV.

Dr Michael I Ugwoke is a Scientist Formulation Development/Project Leader at OctoPlus Development BV. He is responsible for design and execution of sponsored projects within the company. Since joining OctoPlus, he has specialised in the development of particulate advanced drug delivery systems and the freeze drying of biopharmaceuticals.

Mike obtained a degree in Pharmacy from the University of Nigeria Nsukka and a PhD in formulation development of particulate systems for administration in the upper respiratory tract from the University of Leuven, Belgium.


Professor Daan Crommelin is a Full Professor at the Department of Pharmaceutics at Utrecht University. He is Dean of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Scientific Director of the Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences (UIPS) and Adjunct Professor at the Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the University of Utah. His research is focused on advanced drug delivery and drug targeting strategies. He has published over 240 articles in peer reviewed journals.

Professor Crommelin is also Scientific Director of OctoPlus, a Leiden based company specialised in the development of pharmaceutical product formulations and advanced drug delivery systems. He is European Editor of Pharmaceutical Research and is on the editorial board of 10 peer-reviewed journals in the pharmaceutical sciences.


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Dr Michael I Ugwoke
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Professor Daan Crommelin
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Industry Events

4th Annual Patient Recruitment and Retention in Clinical Trials

13-15 October 2008, Amsterdam

Patient recruitment is now consuming thirty percent of clinical trial time - more time than any other clinical trial activity - and almost half of all trial delays result from patient recruitment problems. As the recruiting culture becomes more sophisticated and the forces affecting patient enrollment grow more numerous and complex, pharmaceutical companies are striving to discover new strategies to facilitate enrollment in clinical trials. With increasing industry pressure to develop, test and market greater numbers of new drugs faster, pharmaceutical companies need to perform clinical trials as quickly as possible. Inefficient patient recruitment processes is a formidable barrier to pharmaceutical companies' success in launching new products. Improving the patient recruitment process is imperative to avoid wasted investments and eliminate costly delays in bringing new drugs to market -- today and even more so in the not-so-distant future. Improved patient recruitment presents one of the largest opportunities for pharmaceutical companies to eliminate delays in clinical trials, thereby making it possible to reduce time to market.  With patent time limits and large overheads meaning that any delays in the development timeline can be disastrous, a good understanding of how to successfully recruit patients for trials is vital for any company looking to succeed.
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News and Press Releases

Azopharma Announces Plans to Implement XcelodoseTM Technology in the Production of Early Stage Clinical Trial Materials

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – Azopharma Product Development Group, Inc. (“Azopharma”) announced today plans to implement Xcelodose technology at its formulations development facility, ApiCross Drug Delivery Technologies. Xcelodose technology is a powder micro-dosing system developed by Meridica. This technology offers a unique powder dispensing system for small-scale capsule filling and ultimately assists in conserving valuable research material as well as reducing various Preformulation activities.
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