APS' Ethical Drug Delivery Business Nears Fruition

Advanced Polymer Systems of Redwood City, California, is already offering a range of over-the-counter products based on its drug delivery technology, but hopes to reap the rewards of the high-return ethical pharmaceutical business with the impending launch of its first prescription product.

APS' lead drug-delivery technology is a tried and tested vehicle, as it is already part and parcel of the firm's line of OTC acne products. The Microsponge system comprises a cross-linked polymer which forms beads that can serve as reservoirs for active drug components, or absorb undesirable components. However, this is only the first in a range of new drug delivery systems, the rest of which will be described later.

Tretinoin Revisited APS' first ethical product is a new formulation of the prescription acne treatment Retin-A (tretinoin) sold in the USA since 1971 by Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceuticals. This is an extremely effective topical treatment for acne, and according to APS is the world's most prescribed treatment. Unfortunately, use of the current formulation of tretinoin is limited by its potential for skin irritation.