Our Technology

PLxGuardTM Drug Delivery Platform

Some active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) may cause injury to the stomach lining.

The innovative PLxGuard drug delivery platform employs a pH-dependent release mechanism that relies on chemical association of lipidic excipients with APIs to selectively release them to targeted portions of the GI tract.

Utilizing this chemical association of lipidic excipients to our advantage is what makes PLxGuard unique. The preassociation of PLxGuard’s own pharmaceutical lipid means that the API won’t interact with similar naturally occurring phospholipids in the stomach lining, helping to prevent gastric injury.

This preassociation makes it less likely that APIs will come in direct contact with the stomach.

This complex remains stable in the low pH of the stomach, limiting direct contact of the API with the gastric mucosa.

Complex limiting contact with gastric mucosa
Complex helps protect against direct stomach contact

Once the complex arrives in the duodenum, it dissociates in the higher-pH environment and the API is free to be absorbed.

Complex in higher-pH environment of the duodenum
Targeted delivery to optimize absorption

Even if reflux occurs and the API and lipidic excipients return to the stomach, they reassemble into the complex, limiting direct stomach contact, helping to reduce local GI injury.

Complex limiting contact with gastric mucosa
Reduces contact with stomach even if reflux occurs

This drug delivery platform is intended to reliably release APIs in the duodenum and decrease exposure to the stomach, which is the most susceptible part of the GI tract to NSAID-induced local gastric injury.

PLxGuardTM may have the potential to:

  • Enhance delivery of active pharmaceutical ingredients
  • Optimize drug absorption and reduce local GI injury
  • Provide new or extended patent protection for an already approved or development-stage drug
  • Utilize the 505(b)(2) NDA regulatory path that often provides a faster and lower-cost FDA approval when used with already approved drugs

GI: gastrointestinal, NDA: new drug application, NSAID: nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug