Biotech Values

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Iontophoretic Technology: Visulex(TM) for BOTE Noninvasive Therapeutics

The April 2004 issue of Drug Delivery Technology has an article about Aciont's Back of the Eye (BOTE) Noninvasive Drug Delivery Technology; the article was written by Aciont scientists.

Essentially Aciont has developed a drug applicator that easily slips into the lower cul-de-sac of the eye socket. This applicator is hooked via several electodes to a dosaging controller. A small electric current is applied to carry drugs, in the form of ions, through the tissue (iontophoretics). Administration appears to require 20 minutes at 3 mA for a surface contact area of 0.5 cm2. The article notes that human studies have shown that this electrical current and time did not adversely affect eye structure or function.

Data presented show the effectiveness of Visulex for delivering Dexamethasone disodium phosphate. Rabbits with experimentally induced uveitis (inflammation of the middle eye) were treated with both ocular injections and with the Visulex system. Both the Visulex and injections were effective treatments with the Visulex being slightly better.

The article highlights the risks associated with eye injections and the need for alternative delivery techniques.

Since squalamine has a charged site, I would expect that it could potentially be capable of being delivered via iontophoresis. The important question centers on the feasibility of Visulex for delivery of other antiangiogenics that are being developed to treat AMD.

Drug Delivery Technology apparently posts articles on their web site two months after issue. Subscriptions are free for many since this is a good way for companies to advertise what they are doing.

http://www.drugdeliverytech.com/cgi-bin/current_issue.cgi

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