Collaboration goal to develop alternative
methods to assess clinical performance of product variants under
different conditions
Simulations Plus, Inc. (Nasdaq: SLP) (“Simulations Plus”), a
leading provider of biosimulation, simulation-enabled performance
and intelligence solutions, and medical communications to the
biopharma industry, today announced a newly funded grant from the
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), secured in partnership
with the University of Strathclyde and InnoGI Technologies. The
project is expected to improve the understanding of amorphous solid
dispersion (ASD) formulations in different conditions and predict
the impact of food and pH-dependent drug-drug interactions (DDIs)
through the combination of novel in vitro testing and mechanistic
modeling and simulation.
For this award, Professor Hannah Batchelor, through her lab at
the University of Strathclyde, will analyze ASD drug products and
their respective formulation variants. InnoGI Technologies will
then test the different ASD formulations under fasted, fed, and
higher gastric pH conditions utilizing the tiny-TIMsg, part of the
SurroGUT™ Platform, in vitro system. Next, physiologically based
pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models will be developed in the GastroPlus®
platform to link in vitro dissolution with in vivo pharmacokinetic
data and develop in vitro-in vivo extrapolations (IVIVEs). Finally,
virtual bioequivalence (VBE) trial simulations will be conducted in
GastroPlus to assess the clinical performance of ASD formulation
variants to validate the approaches. The resulting outcomes are
anticipated to help speed up formulation adjustments, reduce costs,
and accelerate time-to-market for both innovator and generic ASD
products.
“We are delighted to be at the forefront of this important
research, which has the potential to significantly advance PBPK
science and revolutionize how we predict drug product performance,”
said Dr. Maxime Le Merdy, Director of PBPK Collaborations at
Simulations Plus and principal investigator for this grant.
“Developing a novel IVIVE methodology for ASD drug products will
play a crucial role in optimizing formulation development,
fine-tuning process parameters, and supporting bioequivalence
assessments by offering key insights into the factors that impact
in vivo performance.”
FDA scientific and program staff will actively collaborate with
the University of Strathclyde, InnoGI Technologies, and Simulations
Plus. Dr. Le Merdy, with assistance from scientists at Simulations
Plus, will coordinate the modeling and simulation activities of the
contract.
“By leveraging the power of this industry-academia-regulatory
collaboration, we will push the boundaries of innovation and
accelerate the development of safer, more effective therapies,”
said Prof. Batchelor. “This unique partnership allows us to combine
InnoGI’s cutting-edge in vitro technologies, GastroPlus’s
mechanistic modeling, and real-world clinical insights, driving
greater efficiency and confidence in drug development
decisions.”
“As oral formulation development grows increasingly complex,
evaluating drug product performance while studying luminal events
in real time demands the integration of advanced technologies to
bridge in vitro and in vivo testing gaps, thus reducing development
risks for more efficient drug development,” said Susann Bellmann,
CTO of InnoGI Technologies.
Funding for this collaboration is made possible by the Food and
Drug Administration through grant award 1U01FD008388-01. Views
expressed in this press release do not necessarily reflect the
official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services;
nor does any mention of trade names, commercial practices, or
organization imply endorsement by the United States Government.
About the Batchelor laboratory at the University of
Strathclyde
Hannah Batchelor, a professor of Pharmaceutics within the
Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences at the
University of Strathclyde, and her team have broad research
interests which focus on the development of age-appropriate
medicines for children. Specific research areas include pediatric
biopharmaceutics and development of appropriate in vitro testing
strategies to predict in vivo performance, along with the
application of in silico modeling in pediatric populations to
optimize pharmacokinetic study design and evaluate the impact of
drug-food interactions. She is currently the director of the GIBio
facility at Strathclyde (https://cmac.ac.uk/gibio) and her work,
supported by federal and industrial funding, has led to many
peer-reviewed publications and invited presentations in these
areas.
About InnoGI Technologies
InnoGI Technologies, formerly known as The TIM Company, is a
global leader in the development of advanced in vitro
gastrointestinal models and expert services, building on decades of
expertise in oral drug testing. Based in Delft, The Netherlands,
InnoGI Technologies offers a comprehensive suite of services
designed to simulate the complex processes of the human
gastrointestinal (GI) tract leveraging its SurroGUT™ platform
mimicking the human GI tract with high fidelity. These services
include advanced dissolution testing, absorption modeling, and the
prediction of drug release and bioavailability. By using highly
realistic, scientifically validated GI models, InnoGI helps clients
optimize formulations, de-risk clinical trials, and streamline
product development. The company's solutions reduce formulation
iterations, accelerate time-to-market, and support critical
decision-making throughout the stages of oral drug development.
Serving clients in both the pharmaceutical and food industries,
InnoGI’s innovative approaches are supported by more than 250
scientific publications, positioning the company as a trusted
partner in advancing oral drug delivery and improving therapeutic
outcomes worldwide. For more information, visit our website at
www.innogitechnologies.com and follow us on LinkedIn.
About Simulations Plus, Inc.
With more than 25 years of experience serving clients globally,
Simulations Plus stands as a premier provider in the biopharma
sector, offering advanced software and consulting services that
enhance drug discovery, development, research, clinical trial
operations, regulatory submissions, and commercialization. Our
comprehensive biosimulation solutions integrate artificial
intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML), physiologically based
pharmacokinetics, physiologically based biopharmaceutics,
quantitative systems pharmacology/toxicology, and population PK/PD
modeling approaches. We also deliver simulation-enabled performance
and intelligence solutions alongside medical communications support
for clinical and commercial drug development. Our cutting-edge
technology is licensed and utilized by leading pharmaceutical,
biotechnology, and regulatory agencies worldwide. For more
information, visit our website at www.simulations-plus.com. Follow
us on LinkedIn | X | YouTube
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mean that these are our best estimates as of this writing, but
there can be no assurances that expected or anticipated results or
events will actually take place, so our actual future results could
differ significantly from those statements. Factors that could
cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not
limited to: our ability to successfully integrate the Pro-ficiency
business with our own, as well as expenses we may incur in
connection therewith, the efficiency and effectiveness of our
internal business restructuring and leadership changes, our ability
to maintain our competitive advantages, acceptance of new software
and improved versions of our existing software by our customers,
the general economics of the pharmaceutical industry, our ability
to finance growth, our ability to continue to attract and retain
highly qualified technical staff, market conditions, macroeconomic
factors, and a sustainable market. Further information on our risk
factors is contained in our quarterly and annual reports and filed
with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241030236250/en/
Financial Profiles Lisa Fortuna
310-622-8234 slp@finprofiles.com
Simulations Plus Investor Relations
Renee Bouche 661-723-7723 renee.bouche@simulations-plus.com
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