QRxPharma has developed MoxDuo CR to provide 12 hours of pain relief to patients with cancer, lower back, osteoarthritis orneuropathic pain. The product is due to enter Phase I trials and Patheon has been contracted to manufacture the product.

John Holaday, Managing Director and CEO at QRxPharma, explained that the Patheon deal "represents a major step forward" and allows the company to "round out" its platform of MoxDuo products.

Holaday added: "Patheon is a well-known manufacturing organisation with proven ability to develop novel formulations of drugs that address global markets. Our goal is to provide physicians and patients with a variety of complementary Dual Opioids for managing moderate to severe pain."

MoxDuo CR has been designed to have lower amounts of active ingredients than competing products. QRxPharma has also built in patented tamper-proof features, which were designed in collaboration with Supernus Pharmaceuticals.

These deliver "superior anti-fraud and anti-abuse characteristics to existing controlled release technologies", according to QRxPharma. Patheon will incorporate these features in the production process and Wes Wheeler, CEO of the contract manufacturing organisation (CMO), said it is "making significant progress with clinical formulations of this unique Dual-Opioid product".

QRxPharma expects Phase I trials, which will evaluate the product's pharmacokinetic profile, to begin later this year. The company also has a product in Phase III and anticipates filing a new drug application (NDA) in 2010.