SAN ANTONIO, March 12 (UPI) -- U.S. firm Azaya Therapeutics said Monday it has won a patent on its nanotechnology for use in chemotherapy drugs.
The company said its PSL nanotechnology allows for the consistent loading, sizing and stabilizing of active drugs into targeted nanoparticles.
"PSL nanotechnology is a breakthrough for the formulation and targeting of effective, yet insoluble drugs and has the potential for very broad application to a wide variety of formulations," said Azaya President and Chief Executive Officer Michael Dwyer.
"We have been able to demonstrate that PSL formulation of a standard-of-care, yet toxic, chemotherapeutic allows for dosing at higher levels, increased drug concentration and circulation time, and statistically significant tumor growth inhibition, compared to the original formulation. We've clearly proven the principle of what PSL nanoparticles are capable of doing."
The first application of the nanotechnology is for a more targeted and effective formulation of one of the world's top-selling chemotherapy drugs, Azaya said, adding that the oncology drug market is valued at more than $60 billion worldwide, with an estimated growth rate of 16 percent annually.
The PSL nanotechnology has the potential to extend the life of a flurry of chemotherapy drugs that are losing patent protection in the next few years, by repackaging the drugs into new formulations, the company added.
