Plantes & Industrie, the development and manufacturing site of Pierre Fabre Group, has successfully launched its two new state-of-the-art development and production units. These facilities are dedicated to the industrial production of nanopowders and complexation with cyclodextrins. The main goal is a dramatic enhancement of the bioavailability of a poorly water-soluble API.

Extensive expertise has been acquired in the manufacture of cytotoxic nanoparticles by RESS and SAS processes. Complexation of APIs with cyclodextrins using SuperCritical Fluids is a Pierre Fabre patented technology. Whereas nanopowder formation leads to an increase of the API dissolution rate, complexation directly influences its solubility. This technology presents many advantages compared to classical methods, it is solvent free, the scale-up is rapid and reliable, the treatment is carried out at a moderate temperature (30°C to 40°C) and leads to a reduction of the side-effects.

We have recently observed an enhancement of a solubility by 900 folds in water and consequently the final solubility in blood can be increased by over 10 times in some cases.

Plantes & Industrie representatives will attend the following events: BioSquare, Lyon (France, 13-15 April), Drug Delivery Partnerships, Paris (France, 27-28 April), EuroBiotech Forum, Paris (France, 1-3 June) and Bio2005, Philadelphia (USA, 19-22 June).