R P Scherer And BTG Sign Agreement

R P Scherer Corp has exercised its option from British Technology Group to license exclusive worldwide rights to the Pulsincap oral delivery technology.

The Pulsincap dosage form is being developed to control the timing of delivery of a medicine and its site of delivery in the body. BTG notes that many drugs do not take into account the circadian rythms of the body, which can affect the efficacy of a medicine, particularly in disorders such as coronary heart disease, asthma and arthritis, which all have increased symptoms during the night or the early morning.

A spokesman for Scherer commented that "this exercising of our exclusive option confirms the view that the Pulsincap system has an important role to play in improving the clinical performance of many medicines. The firm believes that this technology will revolutionize the treatment of conditions requiring peak blood levels during the early morning hours." He concluded that "the additional capability of the Pulsincap dosage form to combine immediate release with timed doses of a drug permits dosage frequency to be reduced and affords opportunities for enhanced patient compliance."