scPharmaceuticals, Sensile Medical to develop heart failure treatment

The drug-device combination will leverage the Sensile SenseCore technology in a wearable minipump, which delivers the drug product under the skin using a very small needle.

As part of the product development agreement, Sensile and scPharmaceuticals will develop and manufacture minipump devices, for the furosemide drug product for subcutaneous administration, by scPharmaceuticals.

scPharmaceuticals president and CEO Pieter Muntendam said that the affordable care act has created a need for new therapies that offer benefits comparable to those achieved by intravenously administered drugs in the hospital.

"Although numerous technologies have been pursued for small and convenient minipumps, the SenseCore minipump technology stands out because of its precision and the unique and cost-effective two component design of a versatile reusable battery-operated engine and the low cost disposable component that includes the drug delivery component," Muntendam added.

Furosemide, which is currently used as a tablet or as a solution for intravenous administration, required a reformulation to make it suitable for subcutaneous administration.

Sensile Medical CEO Derek Brandt said that the reformulated furosemide product represents an example of how a new medical paradigm can be created by delivering a proven drug for the first time by subcutaneous delivery.

"It illustrates the importance of drug delivery technology to create novel, more cost-effective therapies aimed to save the healthcare system money and improve patient outcomes," Brandt added.

scPharmaceuticals expects to submit its new drug application for the furosemide drug device combination before Q1 of 2015.