Thin films that dissolve in your mouth are not just for breath strips. Drug-delivery companies are sold on their ease of use and ability to release pharmaceutical compounds immediately. And Quebec-based IntelGenx is developing a thin oral film that delivers INT007, which is the bioequivalent to phosphodiesterase type 5 that is found in leading ED tablets Viagra and Cialis. IntelGenx has announced that it's finished a study that indicates its thin film might actually work faster than those leading ED tablets.
Its technology is called VersaFilm, and the study measured time to peak concentration, a common determinant of rate of absorption. The INT007 film achieved it 27 percent faster than oral tablets. That was enough to convince the company to start scale-up and manufacturing of batches required to support a clinical study and future filings for trials.
"The achievement of bioequivalence in this pilot study solidifies IntelGenx'[s] position at the forefront of immediate release film development," IntelGenx CEO Horst Zerbe says in a statement.
IntelGenx has a number of projects up its sleeve for its rapidly disintegrating films, including products for the treatment of pain, hypertension and depression.
- read the IntelGenx release
- check out Versafilm technology