SOUTH BRUNSWICK, N.J., Nov. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Tris Pharma, a privately owned, specialty pharmaceutical company, today unveiled a key component in the nation’s fight against opioid abuse. Its new drug delivery platform, NoBuse(TM), offers a technology by which companies can deliver effective pain relief or ADHD products that are nearly impervious to abuse.
In the United States, narcotic pain relievers have fueled a dangerous epidemic. One in five teens has abused a prescription pain medication(1) and emergency room visits associated with these drugs have increased 163 percent since 1995(2). The situation has created barriers to access for patients suffering from real pain: Doctors are more reticent to prescribe opioids, and regulators have refused to allow new analgesics on the market unless they have the highest forms of abuse deterrence measures in place.
But Tris Pharma’s NoBuse(TM) technology allows companies to provide pain relief responsibly. “In the current environment where opioid abuse has become such a problem, companies must first consider safeguarding their drugs if they want to reach patients in need,” says Ketan Mehta, CEO and Founder of Tris Pharma. “There’s no reason for patients to suffer needlessly when NoBuse(TM) provides such an effective option for abuse prevention.”
There is a perception that conventional sustained release formulations are less prone to abuse then immediate-release formulations. However, users can easily extract the full 12-24 hour dose from existing sustained-release preparations for immediate consumption and then snort, swallow, or inject it- all of which provides users a “high” and which can be extremely dangerous when larger than intended doses are taken.
The NoBuse(TM) delivery system is engineered to prevent abuse on a physical level without the need for additional ingredients. NoBuse(TM) employs a technique where the drug is complexed to very fine polymeric particles and coated with a highly flexible non-breakable film resulting in particles that are extremely difficult to extract drug from-even after crushing the tablet or dissolving it in alcohol.
“Abuse of prescription drugs is a fast-growing problem-being able to limit this liability is a real benefit to society,” says Thomas Newton, MD, Professor of Psychiatry at the Baylor College of Medicine. “Other methods can be breached-but the data for NoBuse(TM) shows that it is virtually impossible for abusers to get around. I also like the fact that the abuse deterrence is not contingent on the patient being forced to take added active ingredients such as the antagonist naloxone. The vast majority of patients aren’t abusers and there is no reason for them to ingest an additional drug they don’t need.”
The technology works across a range of oral dosage forms including tablets, liquid suspensions, orally disintegrating tablets, and drug strips. It can also be used to formulate an immediate-release product with a built-in abuse deterrent. In doing so, Tris Pharma’s NoBuse(TM) technology provides important value and a competitive advantage against competing delivery technologies.
About Tris Pharma, Inc.
Tris Pharma, Inc. is a specialty drug delivery technology company. Tris specializes in controlled release dosage forms for liquid, solid and orally disintegrating tablets; abuse-deterrent technology; and bioavailability enhancement of poorly absorbed drugs. Through its pharma partners, Tris has more than 30 products in development, submission or on market. Tris’ research and manufacturing facilities are located in central New Jersey, USA. For more information, please visit www.trispharma.com
(1) Partnership for a Drug Free America
(2) “Prescription for Danger,” produced by the Office of National Drug Control Policy, January 2008
CONTACT: Peter Ciano, +1-732-940-2800 x104, pciano@trispharma.com, or
Nicole Wetzel, +1-732-940-2800 x101, nwetzel@trispharma.com, both of Tris
Pharma
Web site: http://www.trispharma.com/
