Chicago, March 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --
Xeris Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Xeris”), a specialty pharmaceutical company leveraging its novel technology platforms to develop and commercialize ready-to-use injectable and infusible drug formulations, announced today that it has entered into a Feasibility Evaluation Agreement with Asahi Kasei Pharma Corporation (“AKP”). AKP is a research-based pharmaceutical company specializing in the therapeutic areas of pain management, musculoskeletal disorders, and critical care medicine. AKP is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Asahi Kasei Corporation, which is a shareholder of Xeris.
The goal of the feasibility evaluation is to understand if a particular therapeutic from AKP’s product portfolio can be reformulated using Xeris’ XeriJect™ technology. In particular, AKP and Xeris’ objective is to understand if the formulation can be converted from one that today is intravenously administered to a ready-to-use, room-temperature stable formulation with significantly lower injection volume for subcutaneous injection.
“We look forward to the results of the feasibility study. If the XeriJect™ technology successfully reformulates our product as expected, it becomes more realistic to develop a new dosage form for a particular clinical use requiring low injection volume and immediate preparation which was impossible to realize with the current lyophilized form.” said Tomokazu Sugi, the Senior General Manager of Pharmaceuticals Research Center of AKP.
“A core part of our strategy is to apply our formulation technology platforms to proprietary drugs and biologics from other pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies with a goal of developing ready-to-use, room-temperature stable versions of their products. Xeris is working with several companies to evaluate the formulation of those companies’ therapeutics with its XeriSol™ or XeriJect™ technologies. We are excited to collaborate with AKP to understand the feasibility of this novel formulation.” said Steve Prestrelski, Ph.D., MBA, the Chief Scientific Officer of Xeris.
About XeriJect™
Xeris addresses the issues of poor solubility, poor stability, and/or poor patient compliance observed with current aqueous formulations through its novel, proprietary non-aqueous formulation technology platforms, providing ready-to-use drug products for patients and caregivers. The XeriJect™ technology enables the reformulation of large molecules into ready-to-use, ultra-low volume, room-temperature stable suspensions that can be delivered using commercially available syringes, auto-injectors, multi-dose pens, or infusion pumps. The significantly reduced injection volumes allow for subcutaneous (SC) delivery of drugs currently administered intravenously (IV). More information can be found at https://www.xerispharma.com/technology/#xeriject.
About Xeris Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Xeris is a specialty pharmaceutical company leveraging its novel formulation technology platforms to develop and commercialize ready-to-use, room-temperature stable injectable and infusible drug formulations. The company’s proprietary XeriSol™ and XeriJect™ formulation technologies allow for the subcutaneous (SC) and intramuscular (IM) delivery of highly-concentrated, non-aqueous, ready-to-use formulations using commercially available syringes, auto-injectors, multi-dose pens, and infusion pumps. The XeriSol™ formulation technology platform is applicable to peptide-based drugs and small molecule drugs, whereas the XeriJect™ formulation system is directed to drugs and biologics consisting of large molecules, such as therapeutic proteins, monoclonal antibodies, and vaccines.
Xeris' platforms have the potential to offer distinct advantages over existing formulations of marketed and development-stage products. In particular, XeriSol™ and XeriJect™ offer the opportunity to eliminate reconstitution, enable long-term room-temperature stability, significantly reduce injection volume, and eliminate the requirement for intravenous (IV) infusion. These attributes can lead to products that are easier to use by patients, caregivers, and health practitioners and reduce costs for payers and the healthcare system. Further information about Xeris can be found at www.xerispharma.com.