NJIT Researchers Honored for API Coating Technology

A team of engineers from the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) are the recipients of a Thomas Alva Edison Patent Award from the Research & Development Council of New Jersey for developing a manufacturing process that masks the bitter taste of medications. The group of researchers include Rajesh Davé, distinguished professor of chemical, biological, and pharmaceutical engineering, and two of his former graduate students Maxx Capece, senior scientist at AbbVie, and Daniel To, senior product development scientist at Colorcon. The group will receive the award during a ceremony on Nov. 3, 2016.

The NJIT researcher’s patent (US 9,107,851) describes a “solventless method of producing polymer coated active pharmaceutical ingredient that is taste-masked and may be released in relatively short time.” The method uses vibrations to mix “API particles, water soluble coating material particles, and hydrophobic polymer particles with or without use of other pharmaceutically relevant powders as media.” This mixing method allows manufacturers to coat tiny particles without the use of water, organic solvents, or heat. This significantly reduces long drying times that are associated with solvent methods of coating particles. This technology has been licensed to a healthcare company that develops drugs and drug delivery systems, a press announcement on the award notes. In this case, the company is using a thin layer of wax to mask bitter tastes.

The awards are given to patent work spanning 11 categories including agriculture, biotechnology, defense, drug delivery technology, enabling technology, energy, industrial process, industrial product, medical device, medical technology, and telecommunications. Other award recipients include Honeywell, ExxonMobil, Immunomedics, Lockheed Martin, Merck, NJIT, Nokia Bell Labs, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Rutgers University Siemens, and TE Connectivity.