Ripple Therapeutics Research on Polymer-Free Drug Delivery Published in Nature Communications
TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / June 1, 2021 / Ripple Therapeutics Corporation (“Ripple”), a clinical stage, ophthalmology-focused developer of novel pharmaceuticals, announced today that the article Polymer-Free Corticosteroid Dimer Implants for Controlled and Sustained Drug Delivery was recently published in Nature Communications.
The article describes Ripple’s Epidel™ technology platform which is founded on a discovery that drugs can be engineered into drug delivery implants without the use of polymers or excipients. The proprietary prodrugs are new chemical entities (NCEs) that have unique properties that allow them to be processed into standalone drug delivery implants (e.g. implantable cylinders, micro/nanoparticles, etc.) or as coatings for medical devices without a polymeric carrier. Ripple Therapeutics’ implants and coatings are made up entirely from the prodrug so when the drug is gone the implant is gone. The implants and coatings undergo surface erosion achieving tightly controlled and reproducible release kinetics. Drug release profiles are highly engineerable (e.g. different forms, shapes, and sizes) to tailor drug dose and duration for the specific indication of interest. The flexibility in molecular design results in drug doses that are within the therapeutic window for a specified duration, delivering the right amount of drug for the right amount of time. This has the potential to improve patient safety and clinical outcomes.
“Surface erosion-based drug release enables the most controllable way to precisely design pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics for a target indication,” commented Dr. Wendy Naimark, Chief Technology Officer, Ripple Therapeutics. “We purposely design for simplicity to meet both safety and manufacturing goals. The less material the better from a physiological perspective and manufacturing simplicity is important for ensuring process control and ultimately a lower cost of goods.”
Ripple recently announced that the first patients have been enrolled in RIPPLE-1, a Phase II clinical trial evaluating IBE-814 IVT, a proprietary intravitreal dexamethasone implant targeting DME (diabetic macular edema) and RVO (retinal vein occlusion) patients. The trial seeks to provide a much-needed treatment option: a safer steroid implant with an extended clinical benefit.
Ripple is developing a full product pipeline including sustained release therapeutics for glaucoma, post cataract surgery and AMD. Ripple’s glaucoma product (RTC-1119) is an intracameral prostaglandin implant for primary open-angle glaucoma. The target product profile for RTC-1119 is to provide controlled, predictable drug release for 6-12 months and to allow retreatments as required. The product is currently in preclinical development and the company is on target to submit a pre-IND in the second quarter of 2022.
To read the article visit: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-23232-7
About Ripple Therapeutics
Ripple Therapeutics Corporation is a clinical stage, privately held company that is focused on ophthalmic therapeutics with controllable, sustainable drug delivery. The core feature of Ripple’s Epidel™ technology is the ability to engineer sustained-release pharmaceuticals with zero-order release kinetics without the use of polymers or excipients. Ripple has a full product pipeline in development. www.rippletherapeutics.com
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SOURCE: Ripple Therapeutics Corporation
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