Johnson & Johnson has seen enough in Midatech Pharma to extend its drug delivery partnership. The revised deal positions Midatech to optimize a long-acting injectable formulation of an experimental large molecule in development at J&J.
Midatech entered into a feasibility agreement with J&J’s Janssen in 2020 but initially kept the identity of its collaborator under wraps, referring to its partner as a European affiliate of a leading global healthcare company. That changed this week, when Midatech revealed J&J has extended the project after getting early evidence that the drug delivery technology works with its large molecule.
The project is using Midatech’s Q-Sphera to encapsulate an undisclosed J&J large molecule. Q-Sphera is based on the piezoelectric technology found in inkjet printers. Midatech has applied the technology to drug manufacturing, enabling it to encapsulate molecules in polymer-based bioresorbable microspheres that form depots that gradually release the therapeutic for weeks or months.
If Midatech is right, Q-Sphera will facilitate the creation of long-acting formulations of antibodies and other biologics. Long-acting injectables could reduce the burden of taking many of the best-selling drugs, making it an potentially attractive approach for companies in competitive indications and those seeking to extend the life cycles of their products.
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Midatech successfully used the technology to encapsulate a J&J molecule last year. That done, J&J has extended the collaboration and tasked Midatech with maximizing drug loading and optimizing in vitro duration.
“We are excited about the potential of our Q-Sphera technology in the delivery of API via long-acting injectables. We look forward to our continued collaboration with Janssen and the application of our technology specific to these APIs,” Dmitry Zamoryakhin, M.D., chief scientific officer at Midatech, said in a statement.