Manufacturer Nitto Denko has signed a deal with pharmaceutical giant Daiichi Sankyo for exclusive rights to Nitto's PassPort transdermal patch system in conjunction with the development of an undisclosed drug both hope to market in the U.S.
The two Japanese companies didn't hint at what that new compound might be, nor did they disclose the financial terms of the agreement in a press release.
Nitto is giving Daiichi the rights to its active transdermal drug delivery technology for the "undisclosed compound" while the pharmaceutical company will support the clinical development of the candidate drug in the U.S., the two sides said. Nitto also will be in charge of manufacturing the patches and device components associated with the product.
The PassPort system is designed to provide transdermal delivery of drugs that are typically limited to invasive and often painful injection or infusion methods. The PassPort device uses a painless energy pulse to the patch once it's on the skin, conditioning the outer layer to allow water-soluble and larger-molecule compounds--like peptides and proteins--to be absorbed and be effective. The system can also be optimized to administer different amounts depending on the drug, allowing injection-speed delivery or one similar to a slow intravenous drip.
Transdermal patches have become more popular globally in the past few years as a needle-free alternative drug delivery system. Nitto first got into the transdermal patch niche when it acquired all of Altea Therapeutics' patents, trademarks and lab equipment in 2012. The Atlanta-based Altea had hoped its work on transdermal technology would bring great things, but it ran out of capital and shut its doors in 2011.
Possibly hinting at other applications of the transdermal patch, Nitto said it will continue to accelerate the commercialization of the PassPort system through the new partnership agreement with Daiichi.
- check out the release
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