A key social aspect of sustainability relates to preserving the health of a growing and aging global population. A notable innovation in this field is the controlled-release drug delivery system – whereby patients, instead of ingesting medication orally daily, receive infrequent injections that gradually release the correct dosage of the drug over time.
Corbion is directly contributing to this field with innovative medical biomaterials that actively deliver the drug over time and ensure that they are then safely broken down by the patient’s body - leaving a profound sustainable impact.
Increasing patient adherence
It’s one thing to create effective medicines, but how do we ensure that patients actually take them? This is especially important for people with conditions like schizophrenia – who now account for an astonishing 20% of all hospital beds in the United States alone. Hence, Corbion helped French biopharmaceutical company MedinCell to develop a controlled-release technology1 to increase patient adherence, which also helps to ease the anxiety of family members and reduce pressure on the health care system.
“As part of our joint venture with MedinCell we not only supply our biomaterial for the injectable therapy, but also contribute to the approval of these novel products at regulatory agencies,” explains Menno Lammers, Vice President of Biomaterials. “Developing these therapies is a complex process, especially when transitioning a successful prototype in the lab to full-scale production.”
Corbion’s biomaterials team has built a huge amount of knowledge and intellectual property over the past 45 years - which played a pivotal role in supporting MedinCell when getting their therapy to the market - and into the bodies of patients - faster.
Reducing waste
Efficiency extends beyond the product development phase. Administering a simple injection yields significant environmental benefits, chiefly due to the reduced production and disposal of product packaging. Besides minimizing waste, sustained-release therapies frequently necessitate lower doses, resulting in patients needing less medication to achieve the same therapeutic outcomes.
“This solution addresses many facets of sustainability – from environmental, to social, to economic aspects,” says Menno. “Our partnership with MedinCell is a great example of how we create sustainable impact by collaborating with like-minded entities that share the values we hold dear at Corbion.”