Cycle Pharmaceuticals shook hands with US-based firm, Aprecia Pharmaceuticals as they agreed to develop and commercialize treatments for rare diseases using the advanced technology of 3D printing, recently reported Cambridge Independent. Together they hope to produce more options for rare disease patients, additionally appealing to patients with limitations that results in difficulty swallowing pills.
Cycle Pharmaceuticals, based in Cambridge, focuses on the development of orphan drugs for rare diseases. These drugs are used as treatments to symptoms, rather than cures for the diseases altogether. Patients are reliant on these medications to live their lives, so the quality, accessibility and availability are so important. Cycle is known to take drugs that have already been marketed and work with academics to see if they can utilize the drugs for other diseases. Cycle’s first successful orphan drug was called nitisinone, NITYR, tablets and they are used to treat tyrosinemia type 1. To learn more about tyrosinemia, click here.
They’ve continued to have success over the years. They were founded in 2012 and have already doubled their company size. Now they are hoping to heighten that success with their partnership with Aprecia Pharmaceuticals. Luckily for both companies, they share the same goals and values and feel like a lot more can be achieved together.
Aprecia Pharmaceuticals has developed a 3D technology platform referred to as ZipDose. This technology is the only one used in a pharmaceutical drug product approved by the FDA. This specific technology can develop fast-melt pharmaceutical drugs with more active pharmaceutical ingredients than any other technological competition on the market. They additionally hope to develop treatments for patients with swallowing difficulties, as that is often a common symptom with rare disease patients. They hope to provide alternative treatments so that these patients can improve their daily quality of life.
While it will take about 2 or 3 years for drug developed as a partnership to hit the market, the collaboration is already promising. Together both organizations, and the rare disease community alike, hope to bring about relief to the rare disease community in the upcoming years.
