4th June 2010

R5 Pharmaceuticals has signed an agreement that will mean it can produce finer medicines.

The deal means the company will now mill compounds of medicines so fine that absorption by the human body is improved.

R5 specialises in making short runs of medicines and this global first is predicted to add significantly to sales growth.

Chief executive Paul Titley expects the breakthrough will lead to strong demand from drug companies which will want to use the nanotechnology to deliver their medicines.

R5, based in BioCity, in Pennyfoot Street, has joined forces with Lena Nanoceutics of Bradford to develop the market for Lena's nanoparticle size reduction system.

The Lena system achieves rapid size reduction through a patented, highly efficient wet milling process capable of up to a 1,000-fold size reduction within minutes. Mr Titley said the know-how allowed R5 and Lena to stay ahead of the game.

He said the new process will allow pharmaceutical companies to test the effectiveness of medicines using the finer process.

Mr Titley added: "Nanotechnology is very sexy at the moment. The particles are so fine that the suspension looks clear.

"It improves the rate of absorption. Products which were not well absorbed orally before may now become so.

"The technology does not apply a lot of heat so the new compounds, peptides and proteins are not heated to a point where they are degraded.

"The process can handle low melting point materials."

It means that Lena can now provide clinical samples while R5 has a new, unique technology.

"Lena has a lot of interest from the pharmaceutical industry," added Mr Titley.

The joint agreement will allow R5 to market its ability to undertake nano-milling while Lena will market its ability to supply clinical products.

"Most new drugs are not well absorbed so a new means of improving absorption is the Holy Grail of companies like us," he added.