Archives by Month: February 2023
Sustained-release injectables provide a solution for those that require long-term treatment, or in cases where patients can’t swallow tablets or capsules. Also, depending on the drug, certain tablets cannot be crushed, making injectables the preferred option as well.
Oakwood Labs focuses on long-acting injectable development since these medication delivery methods can reduce the number of injections needed, target specific anatomical areas, and help improve patient compliance. By choosing injectables over capsules, you’ll achieve the quality and efficacy you’re seeking.
What Are Sustained-Release Tablets?
Disadvantages of Choosing a Tablet Over an Injectable
While they do offer some benefits, there are distinct disadvantages to utilizing a sustained-release tablet instead of an injectable. Tablets have a higher risk of dosage issues, often known as dose dumping. This is when large amounts of a drug are quickly released, and a toxic quantity is introduced into systemic circulation. These capsules are also often quite large in size, which may cause issues in ingestion or transit through the digestive system.
Why Sustained-Release Injectables Are Beneficial
Sustained-release injectables are often the preferred method among clinical professionals due to the convenience and effectiveness they offer. While there are various types of injectables, depending on the medication they are utilized for the effects can last anywhere from two to twelve weeks with one dose. This provides a practical option for those having trouble taking medication on a daily basis.
By choosing injectables in place of sustained-release capsules, you will help improve the lives and routines of patients in the following ways:
- Safety – When administered by medical personnel, sustained-release injectables can help guarantee safety for your patients. Through regulated injections, you reduce the risk of accidental or deliberate overdose.
- Regularity – Patients who receive injectables need to show up for more appointments, creating regular interactions between them and their medical team. This results in a solid routine and an increase in social interactions.
- Stability – Sustained-release injectables help by treating patients with more stable plasma concentrations compared to oral medications. It also lessens the frequency of having peak plasma levels, which can result in lesser side effects for the patient. Also, for those prone to hospital visits, relapse frequency and rehospitalization rates are decreased.
- Reduced accountability – In order to see the best results with medications, it’s important for patients to take them every day. With long acting injectables, patients no longer need to keep track of daily dosing needs.
Choose Oakwood Labs as Your Source for Sustained-Release Pharmaceuticals
At Oakwood Labs, we understand how essential a partnership is when developing a sustained-release drug from concept to commercialization. With our state-of-the-art technology and personnel, we’ve been able to solve common challenges involved with developing sustained-release injectables such as formulation development, GMB manufacturing under rigorous quality systems, scaling up, and process controls.
As a specialty pharmaceutical company, we are here to help in development as well as scaling up an existing formulation. We support all phases of long-acting injectable (LAI) development, working with you through proof of concept to clinical trial material, all the way up to FDA-approved commercial supply.
By choosing Oakwood Labs as your effective partner, you’ll gain services and benefits such as:
- A strong focus on project management and communication
- Tailored release profile from weeks to one year
- Contract manufacturing services
- ChronijectTM, our patented injectable microsphere technology
- A track record of success for taking projects through every process stage
- Efficient and stringent process controls
- R&D formulation development
- Demonstrated lot-to-lot reproducibility with proven scale-up success
Contact Us to Learn More About Sustained-Release Injectables
Our special pharmaceutical company is ready to help ensure you meet your requirements and expectations for sustained-release injectables. If you’re wanting to learn more about how Oakwood Labs can provide solutions to your company, reach out to our team today.
Additional Resources on Sustained-Release Injectable Development
Medications are classified and categorized in many ways including when it comes to distribution methods, dosage, intent, and more. For the purposes of this post, we are going to focus on the rate at which medications are released in the body to serve their intended function.
The time it takes for a drug to run its course will impact all of the characteristics mentioned above, so we’ll look at extended-release medication and modified-release medication and how it applies to drug delivery.
What Is the Difference Between Immediate-Release Drugs and Extended-Release Drugs?
Immediate-Release Drugs
For the purposes of comparison and to fully understand the role of extended-release medications, we’ll start by acknowledging the most common oral dosage for medication, which is immediate release. Any medications classified as immediate release, or IR, go to work very quickly and for a short period of time.
Modified-Release Drugs
As part of an effort to administer medications more conveniently and provide worthwhile options for patients, modified-release medications began appearing on the market. These medications were developed to extend and/or delay their effects to better aid the patient. Their design often means that a patient is required to take medication less frequently, which in many cases is majorly beneficial to their lifestyle.
Modified-release drugs, also known as extended-release drugs or slow-release drugs, are designed to last longer in your body. For example, someone administered an extended-release medication may only need to take one to two doses as opposed to three to four doses of an IR medication. From a physiological standpoint, these medications are absorbed much slower by the patient and do not start breaking down until they reach a certain area of the body.
What Purposes Do Slow-Release Drugs Serve and How Can Oakwood Labs Help?
As mentioned above, modified-release drugs require less frequent doses while still delivering the same medicinal benefits as their counterpart IR medications. This can be quite beneficial when it comes to an individual who has trouble taking medication on a set schedule or more than once a day.
One type of extend-release medication that is frequently used is long-acting injectables. Oakwood Labs is a leader in the development and manufacturing of these extended-release injectables, and some benefits of this type of drug administration include:
- Fewer injections needed over a determined period of time
- Ability to target precise areas of the body
- Improved patient compliance
- Help in preventing drug abuse
Our team has over 20 years of drug encapsulation experience and can work closely with you in developing long-acting injectables for your needs. Visit our homepage to learn about everything we can provide.
Contact Oakwood Labs for Extended-Release Medications
Oakwood Labs has been working in pharmaceutical development for over two decades and has a team of dedicated scientists ready to help your business from concept to finished product.
If you are interested in working with us or would like to learn more about slow-release medications, contact our team today!