New Lipid-Based Oral Delivery System

Vancouver, BC, Canada (March 5)-Researchers from the University of British Columbia (www.ubc.ca) are developing a new method for delivering Amphotericin B, a potent antifungal agent for fatal blood-borne fungal infections that currently must be administered intravenously. The liquid oral preparation incorporates drug molecules in a lipid-based formulation and reportedly triggers a different molecular interaction than that of the i.v. product.

Led by Kishor M. Wasan, pharmaceutical sciences professor, the research team discovered that the lipid-based system attacks fungal cells only while inhibiting the drug’s interaction with kidney cells; thereby boosting effectiveness and reducing toxicity.

The delivery system was tested in animal models to treat Candida albicans, and a clinical study involving 50–100 patients is planned for later this year.