Cibus: Pursuing a better sustained release

For sustained release drugs that are no longer patent protected, or for those that will soon go off patent, as well as for those that lack significant generic competition, Cibus Pharmaceutical Inc. is stepping in with a technology that the company believes can produce bioequivalence cheaper, faster and with a more flexible release profile. The company has three programs in sustained release, as well as three programs for site-specific delivery, oral peptide/protein delivery and mucosal protection from the effects of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

Cibus' core competence is its ability to develop dosage forms using a hydrocolloid oral drug delivery system that allows for the sustained release of drugs and site-specific delivery in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. According to Duffy Dufresne, president and CEO, the gel-forming hydrocolloid, a polysaccharide, is made from a natural product that the FDA considers GRAS (generally recognized as safe)...