How To Achieve Precise And Flexible Dosing With Multiparticulates

By Luigi Boltri, Director, Technology Development, and Giuseppe De Franza, Senior Manager, Technical Services, Adare Pharma Solutions

Formulation and choice of delivery mechanism can make or break a drug product. For orally delivered medicines, developers often must balance a drug’s “curb appeal” — its specific delivery mechanism, taste, ease of administration, and convenience — with safety and efficacy.

Pharmaceutical companies employ numerous strategies for achieving this equilibrium, among them are the use of excipients, modifiers, and taste agents to create products unique in both patient acceptance and pharmacology. One important technology that has incredible advantages for both patient centricity and drug formulation and development are orally delivered multiparticulate systems.

Multiparticulate systems are composed of numerous individual particulates in which the API is present; such particles can be delivered in capsules, sachets, or sprinkles. At Adare Pharma Solutions, proprietary technology platforms involving oral multiparticulate systems deliver taste masking, controlled release, and bioavailability enhancement.

Based on years of working with these technologies, Adare has found that multiparticulate systems have several advantages over conventional tablet or capsule formulations. Dividing the dose into multiple units homogenizes mucosal distribution of the drug with lower risk of local irritation. Having predictable, reproducible pharmacokinetics means that GI transit times are less dependent on gastric emptying. Although such formulations have high drug loading capacity, the risk of “dose dumping,” which can happen in modified release systems, is minimized. Precisely metering drug delivery facilitates dosage titration, the creation of multiple-strength products from the same formulation, and the pursuit of development programs based on dose proportionality.