Nanoform Finland Plc announced a collaboration with PlusVitech to use Nanoform's nanomedicine technology to repurpose the anti-nausea medicine aprepitant as a treatment for lung cancer. The development program will include nanoforming the current active ingredient into crystalline nanoparticles and formulating a simplified dose regimen with fewer and smaller pills. The partnership is expected to include API supply for late-stage clinical programs and eventual product launch.

Following PlusVitech's positive first time in human studies, a Phase 2 study with 24 patients has commenced, investigating the efficacy of high dose aprepitant in a non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) population that is refractory to standard treatment. The current formulation carries a high pill burden of potentially dozens of pills per day, with a complicated regimen for patients that are most often frail and have trouble swallowing (dysphagia). The new formulation by Nanoform is designed to deliver substantially higher drug load with better bioavailability, which simplifies the dose regimen and improves patient convenience and compliance.

Repurposing an existing drug offers a potentially faster, risk-reduced and cost-effective development path to provide new treatments for high medical need indications like NSCLC. Nanoform's nanocrystalline formulations enable significantly higher drug loading, allowing for smaller pills and a reduced pill burden. Its Controlled Expansion of Supercritical Solutions (CESS®?) technology uses carbon dioxide of recycled origin, and is free from organic hydrocarbons and solvents, offering an environmentally sustainable alternative.