Iconovo and CrystecPharma Collaborate to Develop Innovative Dry Powder Inhaler Products

Iconovo has signed a Letter of Understanding with CrystecPharma to collaborate on the design and development of new dry powder inhaler (DPI) products to be used for precise drug delivery into the lungs of patients with a wide variety of lung diseases, including pulmonary hypertension.

Many therapeutic compounds cannot be formulated into DPI products using traditional methods, such as micronisation — the process of reducing the average diameter of a solid material’s particles. This is especially true for compounds that are unstable, sensitive to heat or moisture, or are fragile macromolecules (very large molecules).

Both Iconovo and CrystecPharma have expertise that will allow them to develop mSAS (modified supercritical anti-solvent) engineered particles, which can be delivered into the lungs using an inhaler from Iconovo.

The mSAS platform uses a supercritical fluid, typically carbon dioxide, to rapidly remove the solvent — the compound into which the therapy is dissolved — thus allowing the medicine to precipitate as dry particles and be delivered to the lungs.

CrystecPharma’s mSAS technology allows for precise control of drug particle size, ease of aerosolization (production of an aerosol), and maintenance of the stability of compounds. This proprietary mSAS platform helps improve the performance of medicines.

In turn, Iconovo has expertise in optimizing powder formulations and delivering them to the lung using its advanced patent-protected inhalers.

Through this collaboration, the two companies plan to develop products to be delivered to the lungs of patients with different diseases, including pulmonary arterial hypertension, pulmonary fibrosis, cystic fibrosis, and respiratory syncytial virus, known as RSV.

The product also may be applicable to other non-pulmonary diseases that require fast systemic uptake, which can be achieved by quick delivery to the lungs. These diseases include migraine, epilepsy, or treatment of overdose.

This new partnership is on a non-exclusive basis, which means that Iconovo and CrystecPharma will promote each other’s technologies, and work together to provide solutions for pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.

“This collaboration will help Iconovo to establish a more solid foundation in the innovative biotechnology space,” Orest Lastow, CEO of Iconovo, said in a press release.

“Working with Iconovo enables CrystecPharma to offer a more comprehensive inhaled product delivery solution to our customers, and a fast route to commercialization for novel inhaled products,” added Paul Thorning, CEO of Crystec Pharma.

Iconovo and CrystecPharma recently launched a pilot project to asses a multi-dose delivery device for CR002, a new inhaled treatment being developed by CrystecPharma for urge incontinence. The study is designed to show superior deep lung delivery compared with conventional devices and particle engineering.