- Lexaria is a global innovator in drug delivery platforms
- The company has developed the patented DehydraTECH(TM) technology that significantly improves the bioavailability of orally administered pharmaceuticals and therapeutics
- Bioavailability is the fraction of a drug that reaches the site of action or systemic circulation
- While drugs delivered intravenously are 100% bioavailable, drugs that have any other route of administration, such as oral, have reduced bioavailability
- DehydraTECH enhances the bioavailability of APIs, in part, by bypassing first-pass liver processing
Global innovator Lexaria Bioscience (NASDAQ: LEXX) has built a reputation as a developer of drug delivery platforms, the most notable of which is the patented DehydraTECH(TM) technology. DehydraTECH is a formulation and dehydration processing method that modifies how the body detects and absorbs drugs, solving a glaring problem that has long affected orally administered drugs: low bioavailability.
Bioavailability indicates the fraction or rate of the initial dose of a drug that is successfully made available to the site of action or systemic circulation (blood supply to all body tissues) from where target organs can readily access. “Intravenous dosing is considered 100% bioavailable since the drug is administered directly to the bloodstream, also termed the central compartment or systemic circulation. However, if a drug has some different route of administration, oral being most commonly employed, its bioavailability may be limited,” explains an article by the North East Biolab (https://nnw.fm/vRkMp). “For oral doses, bioavailability limitations are typically due to the first-pass metabolism produced by the liver as well as incomplete absorption in the gut.”
DehydraTECH solves the low bioavailability problem through a sophisticated API-delivery mechanism. According to Lexaria, DehydraTECH “works symbiotically with existing physiology systems to enable improved and more rapid absorption into the bloodstream and brain tissues.”
The technology, which combines fat-soluble active pharmaceutical ingredients (“APIs”) with long-chain fatty acids, ensures the orally administered DehydraTECH-enabled API enters the upper intestine only minutes after administration. Next, the API is “delivered into the lymphatic lacteals primarily and transported across the upper intestinal wall – instead of going into the hepatic vein destined for the liver.” This way, the APIs bypass first-pass liver processing.
In addition to increasing bioavailability, DehydraTECH offers additional benefits. Lexaria’s subjective and objective testing and pharmacokinetic studies conducted since 2015, for instance, show that DehydraTECH delivers higher quantities of APIs in less time – it is faster and more effective at delivering drugs into the bloodstream and brain tissue. More specifically, the technology increases bioavailability, improves the speed of onset, enhances brain absorption, and increases the ratio of drug delivery, which is expected to reduce drug administration costs by lowering the dosing. Furthermore, DehydraTECH masks unwanted taste, effectively dealing with the bitter, unpleasant taste of medicine and APIs that makes them aversive to children and even adults (https://nnw.fm/olPiN).
DehydraTECH, which is applied to various ingestible product formats, including mouth melts, oral suspensions, capsules, tablets, and others, has multiple opportunities for success in different APIs. To that end, Lexaria is actively developing lead product pipeline candidates in the areas of antiviral drugs, cannabidiol (“CBD”) for hypertension, and oral nicotine.
The company also partners with third-party companies looking to explore formulation opportunities with their specific APIs of interest. Anchored in exclusive or non-exclusive licensing agreements, these partnerships boost Lexaria’s commercial prospects, given it grants the out-licenses in exchange for up-front fees, milestone payments, and/or royalty payments. But as CEO Chris Bunka emphasized in a January 2022 letter to shareholders (https://nnw.fm/mtcIo), these current revenue streams, while important, are not the company’s main area of business focus. Rather, Lexaria is focused on “larger national and international applications for DehydraTECH, primarily but not entirely in the pharmaceutical sector.”
For more information, visit the company’s website at www.LexariaBioscience.com.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to LEXX are available in the company’s newsroom at https://nnw.fm/LEXX
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