Topical drug delivery gel patented by Foamix
its OilGel technology, a semisolid matrix which turns into a liquid
when rubbed onto the skin and can be used to deliver a broad range
of therapeutic compounds.
Foamix maintains that OilGel has advantages over other topical delivery systems because it results in faster absorption with less greasiness and stickiness than conventional ointments and creams. The company is particularly interested in developing the system for ophthalmic treatments - such as antibiotics for eye infections - which can be uncomfortable to take.
The US patent (No 6,911,211) covers the constituents of OilGel, methods of making it, and applications in the delivery of pharmacological or cosmetic agents to the skin or mucous membranes (e.g. the cells lining the nose, mouth, eye, ear, vagina or rectum).
The text of the patent notes that many pharmaceutical carriers are known, but most have disadvantages when topically applied onto the skin or mucosal membranes.
For example, when ointments containing petroleum (a hydrophobic carrier often used for topical drugs such as corticosteroids) are applied onto a skin wound, metabolic products and excreta from the wound cannot be easily removed because of the difficulty of passing through the hydrophobic petroleum barrier. In addition, the active drug ingredient, which is dissolved or dispersed in the petroleum carrier, is not efficiently absorbed into the wound tissue, so the efficacy of the drug is affected.
And in a physiological aspect, petroleum restricts respiration of a wound tissue and is disturbing to the normal respiration of the skin.
Besides petroleum, other hydrophobic pharmaceutical carriers are known, including liquid paraffin, lanolin, beeswax, vegetable oil, glycerin monostearate, higher alcohols, polyethylene glycol and some emulsifying agents. All of these agents either suffer the limitations described hereinabove with respect to petroleum or have undesirable (fast) flow properties.
Foamix is in the process of raising funds in a round of venture capital financing which should provide around $5 million, and is considering an Initial Public Offering sometime in the next 18 months, according to the company.
The Israeli company is expecting to have revenues of around $6 million this year, mainly from licensing revenues relating to its various foam-based delivery technologies to generic drugs. Meantime, it is also developing its own range of products based on the delivery technologies.
