Aprecia Pharmaceuticals and Cycle Pharmaceuticals signed a partnership agreement to develop and commercialize orphan drugs using three-dimensionally printed (3DP) technology, the companies announced in a Dec. 12, 2017 press release. The planned products will deliver quality-of-life improvements versus existing, approved orphan drugs by using Aprecia's proprietary 3DP ZipDose Technology platform, which is the only 3DP technology used in a pharmaceutical drug product approved by FDA.

"Many rare disease patients do not have a treatment option at all.  For those rare diseases where there is an approved pharmaceutical treatment, patients continue to be burdened by sub-optimal drug formulations,” said Antonio Benedetti, CEO of Cycle, in the press release.  “Aprecia's ZipDose 3DP technology can formulate fast-melt pharmaceutical products, incorporating significantly higher amounts of active pharmaceutical ingredient than any other fast-melt technology on the market.  As such, this advanced technology can uniquely overcome both pill burden and dysphagia—swallowing difficulties—both of which are life-long, daily issues for so many rare disease patients."

"We are excited to work with the Cycle team, and we see important synergies in the companies' shared mission to address unmet needs in patient care," said Don Wetherhold, CEO of Aprecia, in the release. 

Source: Aprecia