RESEARCH

CONTROLLED RELEASED DRUGS

Most people like to feel in control of their lives. Similarly, most patients and physicians like to feel in
control of patient health. That’s why pharmaceutical companies create controlled-release drugs,
medications whose active ingredient releases at a prespecified time. Three types of controlled-release
medications include pulse-release, extended-release and delayed-release drugs.

As the name suggests, pulse-release drugs are those that send multiple pulses of medication into the
body. A 2006 article in Expert Opinion on Drug Delivery defines pulse-release medication as “the rapid
and transient release of a drug after a lag phase with no or little drug being released.” Pulse-release drugs
can be classified by their release methods. This form of controlled-release medication is used when
dealing with harsh gastric environments, biological tolerance and chronopharmacological diseases.

Extended-release drugs, also known as sustained-release drugs and long-acting drugs, are another type
of controlled-release medication. These drugs extend drug release to maintain a constant level of
medication within the body. An advantage of this type of drug delivery is the elimination of drug burst.
Extended-release drugs are most helpful for conditions that require frequent doses. Because they reduce
the number of doses, extended-release medications improve patient compliance, especially for chronic
diseases.

Delayed-release drugs are the third type of controlled-release medication. The 2012 textbook
Pharmaceutics: Drug Delivery and Targeting defines delayed-release drugs as drugs that “release the
active ingredient at a time other than immediately after administration.” Delayed-release drugs have a
release time similar to those of conventional drugs, but unlike conventional drugs, the medications don’t
release the API immediately. Delayed-release drugs are best used to avoid API release in unfavorable pH
conditions and harsh environments.

Pulse-release, extended-release and delayed-release medications are all forms of controlled-release

drugs. Orbis’s Precision Particle FabricationTM technology can develop such medications. The StratµmTM
platform creates pulse-release and extended-release injectable drugs. The UnisunTM platform is used for
sustained-release otic therapies, and the OptimµmTM platform creates extended-release and taste-
masked oral pharmaceuticals. These platforms and the controlled-release medications they use will put
patients and physicians in better control of patient health.