Monday, December 22, 2014

Protein Formulation Development In Review

By Stacey Burt


In medical circles, preparation and formulation of a new drug is not an easy task. However it still has to be undertaken since the lives of patients depend on it. These form the basis of protein formulation development which is the process tasked with combining two or more elements to form a drug for a given medical purpose.

Formulation studies involve developing a preparation of the drug which is both stable and acceptable to the patient. For orally taken drugs, this usually involves incorporating the drug into a tablet or a capsule. However, a tablet contains a variety of other substances apart from the drug itself, and studies have to be carried out to ensure that the drug is compatible with these other substances

Proteins are known to have complex structures. These structures also have the characteristic of being delicate and easily change when subjected to clinical tests. Hence they require specialized attention to ensure these inevitable changes do not alter the performance of end product. Therefore, adequate resources must be available for these extra care.

Due to the complexity of its structure, and since it is also very delicate, it is practically impossible to extract a pharmaceutical drug containing only the native and pure protein. The process would prove futile due to inefficiencies from the denatured and degraded protein forms. The very process would prove to be too expensive resource wise.

There exists a major challenge in maintaining the integrity of a purified protein. This is especially the case during pharmaceutical procedures of processing, storage, handling, and delivery to the patient. This goal could nevertheless be achieved l by developing a formulation with perfect stability. This perfectly stable strand would have no physical and chemical change.

Proteins have complex yet delicate structures characterized by a three dimensional look. When it comes to identifying conditions for their stability, it proves infinitely impossible. When developing the strands for commercial purposes, it is inevitable to have some physiochemical changes. Formulations development focuses on determining potential degradation pathway, assessing the significance of each and optimizing variables to reduce degradation products which are clinically significant.

Commercially viable and market competitive formulations have some common features. Most of all, the formulation should maintain the safety and efficacy profile of the protein drug during all the handling and uses specified on the label. Since commercial distribution channels are not always equipped for frozen products, shipping and storage at refrigerated temperature or higher are required.

Various methodical studies need to be carried out to ensure full compliance with regulatory requirements for registration. However, the challenge is that it takes a year or two to collect the results. For efficiency purposes, the commercial formulation should continue in the process of development while preclinical studies and clinical trials are underway.

The intrinsic details of the process of formulation development should be appreciate in regard to the extensive nature of this process. Some of its aspects are not viable nor applicable in real essence and further research is recommended to ensure the untapped nature of this process is determined. Some of these regulations should also be reviewed to give leeway for further intricate research and tests. Much have been done but does not mark the end of it. Researches are ongoing.




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