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Since its inception, Flamel’s area of expertise has been in polymer chemistry, though we are now recognized for our cutting-edge work in drug delivery. It is an important field, both in terms of the benefits such technology brings to patients and the economic opportunities that result. As a relatively young company, a major challenge that we face is to exploit simultaneously the many opportunities we have identified for the Medusa® and Micropump® platforms.
Medusa®, a self-assembled poly-aminoacid nanoparticle system,
is a versatile protein carrier for the development of novel and second-generation long-acting
native protein drugs.
Medusa may also be applied other large molecules, such as monoclonal antibody fragments and peptides.
The Medusa® platform has many advantages in that it enables the controlled delivery of fully-human, non-denatured proteins.
We believe that this will lead to a second-generation of protein-based drugs offering greater effectiveness and reduced toxicity
and side-effects to patients.
A microparticulate adaptation of Medusa has been developed that potentially can extend pharmacokinetics to two weeks or more,
also without loss of bioactivity.
The Micropump® platform enables the controlled delivery of small
molecule drugs that are best absorbed in the small intestine, a
description that fits more than 70% of orally administered drugs.
Unlike gastric-retention tablets, the Micropump® platform is well suited
for applications geared towards pediatric and geriatric patients.
That is because the Micropump® technology consists of the
encapsulation of thousands of micro-particules, each measuring
200-500 micrometers in diameter. These microparticles can be
delivered in caplets but they can also be delivered in suspensions
or syrups. Because the active ingredients are entirely enclosed
in each micro-particle, Micropump® offers an additional advantage
of taste masking.