Ivy Huang, Director at BioDuro, delivered a presentation on enhancing drug solubility and bioavailability. She began by introducing herself and her extensive experience in pharmaceutical research, including her role in developing new chemical entities (NCEs) and generic drugs. Huang highlighted the importance of solubility and permeability in drug development, explaining the Biopharmaceutics Classification System (BCS) which categorises drugs based on these properties.
Huang discussed the challenges associated with poorly soluble drugs, such as low bioavailability due to their physical and chemical properties. She emphasised the need to address issues like low solubility, poor stability, and limited permeability to improve drug efficacy. Huang outlined various approaches to enhance solubility, including chemical modifications, particle size reduction, pH modification, and the use of solubilisers and lipid-based formulations.
She introduced the concept of amorphous solid dispersion (ASD), a technique where the active ingredient is dispersed in a polymer matrix to improve solubility. Huang explained the key considerations for developing ASD, such as drug properties, polymer selection, and the use of surfactants. She also discussed the advantages and disadvantages of different manufacturing technologies, including spray-dried dispersion (SDD) and hot melt extrusion (HME).
Huang presented case studies to illustrate the effectiveness of these techniques. One case study demonstrated a significant improvement in bioavailability using ASD, while another highlighted the challenges of low transition temperature and physical stability. She concluded by summarising the benefits of their technology platform, which is particularly effective for BCS class II and IV compounds, and emphasised the efficiency and time-saving aspects of their approach.
