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A number of drug products require formulation strategies to either target certain areas of the gastrointestinal tract for optimized absorption or provide enteric protection. We combine our formulation and encapsulation expertise to provide customers with a range of technologies custom-fitted to the individual problem statements and target product profiles.

We are well-versed in formulation approaches and technologies for modifying pharmacokinetics of drug compounds to achieve:

  • Effective targeted drug delivery in the upper gastro-intestinal tract
  • Protection of acid-sensitive drugs from acidic stomach conditions
  • Protection of the stomach lining from irritating drug actives
  • Effective drug delivery to the colon

Delayed release and/or enteric protection is provided by functional coating of tablets and multiparticulates or through the use of specialized intrinsically enteric capsule technologies. Enteric encapsulation technology has shown promise in the oral delivery of peptides live biotherapeutic products, and represents an ongoing area of research and development.

This technical brief describes Lonza's enTRinsic™ oral drug-delivery technology, which provides full enteric protection and rapid release in the upper GI tract, without the use of coatings.

View our tech brief

enTRinsic™ Drug Delivery Technology

Intrinsically enteric capsule technologies

The technologies used for targeted delivery are often employed in conjunction with other enabling technologies, such as solubility enhancement, in the development of complex dosage forms:

  • Intrinsically enteric capsule technologies
  • Timed-release technologies
  • pH-controlled-release technologies
  • Combinations

Intrinsically enteric capsule technologies represent a significant breakthrough in providing enteric protection and targeted delivery. By incorporating biopharmaceutically-approved enteric polymers into the hard capsule shell, the technologies eliminate the need for enteric/delayed release coatings, and offer a number of benefits:

  • Product development functionality for rapid prototype development and testing of performance in patients
  • Speed to clinic – by minimizing the amount of work needed during process development, scale-up and validation programs
  • Branding and life cycle management opportunities due to the uniqueness of the capsule functionality

Intrinsically enteric capsule technologies include:

  • Vcaps® Enteric – capsules incorporating a polymer blend that enables effective delayed release, gastric protection, and protection of compounds with mild-to-moderate acid sensitivity 
  • enTrinsic® Drug Delivery Technology – capsule technologies incorporating a polymer blend that provides enteric protection to small and large molecules that are highly acid-sensitive 

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