The company said that several formulations using Cobalamin, which is based upon the body’s natural absorption of vitamin B12 in the gastrointestinal tract, were tested in an animal model of diabetes. Additional preclinical studies are planned.
Access has patents and formulations based on vitamin B12 attachment to polymers and nanoparticles which carry an attached or encapsulated drug. The vitamin B12 absorption mechanism transfers the macrostructure from the gut to blood, facilitating the absorption of drugs that otherwise could not be delivered orally. Access said that its Cobalamin technology has the potential to enable and improve oral bioavailability of active drugs which currently have to be administered by injection, including proteins, antibodies and siRNA.
David Nowotnik, senior vice president of R&D at Access, said: “While Access already has proof-of-principle data using this technology with a variety of proteins and peptides, we are delighted to have attained preclinical study results which indicate that a meaningful pharmacological effect can be achieved. As a result of this very promising result, we plan to complete a short series of formulation optimization studies and then to select a clinical development candidate.”