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News Release from: Powdermatrix
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 20 December 2005
US market opened up by Spark award
Thanks to research made possible through the Powdermatrix Faraday Partnership Spark award scheme, Nottingham based Critical Pharmaceuticals has taken steps to introduce its product to the USA.
Thanks to research made possible through the Powdermatrix Faraday Partnership Spark award scheme, Nottingham based Critical Pharmaceuticals has taken steps to introduce its product to the USA Spark awards are given to fund problem solving, proof-of-concept, technology demonstration and other development activities for companies that are members of Powdermatrix, the Faraday Partnership based at Ceram that is responsible for promoting advanced ceramics and powder technology
This article was originally published on Engineeringtalk on 23 Dec 2005 at 8.00am (UK)
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In the case of Critical Pharmaceuticals, the Spark award was used for proving the performance of its solvent free formulation technology for producing polymeric microparticles for drug delivery.
These allow the slow release of drugs from the polymers, reducing the number of injections required by patients, improving the drug's effect and giving the prescriber more control on when and how much to prescribe for the patient.
Critical Pharmaceuticals needed evidence that the excipients (agents that aid drug release in the body) were effective to introduce it to potential customers in the USA.
The Business Partnership Unit at the School of Chemistry at Nottingham University solved the problem.
Having investigated the loading of different excipients into biodegradable polymeric microparticles (using supercritical carbon dioxide), and the subsequent effects of these excipients on microparticle size, morphology and degradation, researchers were able to show that it is possible to incorporate excipients at high loadings into the polymeric microparticles.
This data meant that Critical Pharmaceuticals could confidently answer questions posed by its US customers.
The Spark project also threw up several additional findings regarding Critical Pharmaceuticals' powder production processes that are to be addressed through an industrial Case award.
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