Propofol, the active ingredient in Diprivan®, is the world’s most widely used IV anaesthetic, with annual worldwide sales in excess of $350MM. Due to its very poor aqueous solubility, however, it is currently only commercially available as an emulsion formulation. It is therefore costly and complex to manufacture, must be handled carefully to avoid accidental contamination, cannot readily be co-formulated with other agents, and employs preservatives that may cause adverse reactions in certain patients. After performing more than 8,000 experiments with our formulation design technologies, TransForm scientists have identified several viable, proprietary, solution formulations of this important drug. All excipients in the TransForm formulations are IV-acceptable.
Further advantages of TransForm’s solution formulations include:
| Preclinical studies suggest equivalent pharmacokinetics and comparable pharmacodynamics to Diprivan®, | |
| Straightforward manufacturing process, | |
| Very low cost to make, | |
| Minimal risk of bacterial contamination, | |
| Potential for multi-use vial, | |
| Long term stability at room temperature, | |
| Potential to co-formulate with other IV-adminstered agents, | |
| Potential to reduce pain on injection, and | |
| Lipid-free. |
TransForm is currently investigating out-licensing options for its improved version of this drug.