Drug Discovery and Development

  • Home Drug Discovery and Development
  • Drug Discovery
  • Women in Pharma and Biotech
  • Oncology
  • Neurological Disease
  • Infectious Disease
  • Resources
    • Video features
    • Podcast
    • Webinars
  • Pharma 50
    • 2025 Pharma 50
    • 2024 Pharma 50
    • 2023 Pharma 50
    • 2022 Pharma 50
    • 2021 Pharma 50
  • Advertise
  • SUBSCRIBE

Pharm Startup Creates Prefabricated Drug Dosages

By Drug Discovery Trends Editor | September 26, 2014

Rodolfo Pinal, left, and Andrew Otte of Biokorf work on their process to create prefabricated drug dosages for compounding pharmacists. Biokorf is one of more than 20 startups created in fiscal year 2014 from Purdue University innovations. (Source: Purdue Research Foundation) Officials of a pharmaceutical startup based on a Purdue University innovation say their company is creating prefabricated drug dosages that could be used by compounding pharmacists to support patient-centered medicine.
 
Teresa Carvajal, chief operating officer at Biokorf LLC and a faculty member in Purdue’s Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, said compounding pharmacists fill prescriptions for individual patients, whereas the pharmaceutical industry makes a reproducible product in very large quantities for the general patient population.
 
“The one-size-fits-all approach used in industrial pharmacy does not work for individual prescriptions,” she said. “Prescription drugs require dosing flexibility with a very high level of precision in order for them to work as intended for the specific patient.”
 
Rodolfo Pinal, chief scientific officer at Biokorf and associate professor in Purdue’s Department of Industrial and Physical Pharmacy, said the company has developed technology that provides the necessary level of precision. It could strengthen a compounding pharmacist’s ability to provide a patient-centered approach to medicine.
 
“We have created 3D Integrated Pharmaceuticals, which provides prefabricated components that compounding pharmacists assemble according to pre-established blueprints,” he said. “These components include the drug dosage as well as performance traits such as solubilization control and taste masking.”
 
3D Integrated Pharmaceuticals technology has been exclusively licensed to Biokorf through the Purdue Office of Technology Commercialization.
 
Andrew Otte, chief executive officer, said Biokorf begins the process to create prefabricated drug dosages with a solution of a known amount of a drug.
 
“We cast this solution in a Petri dish, which allows us to optimize physical properties and minimize material usage. We know the geometry and amount of the drug, so we know how much can be put into one dish,” he said. “We then use a film caster to cast the solution on a substrate, which is then transferred to small-scale manufacturing. The manufactured film can be cut with tooling machinery into final dosage forms.”
 
Pinal said orally disintegrated films used by Biokorf work well, are firmly established in the pharmaceuticals industry and are familiar to the public.
 
“Film configurations of pharmaceuticals are terrific in terms of the ease of manufacture, obtainable quality, reproducibility, methods to monitor quality, scalability, precision dosing and drug release properties and performance,” he said.
 
Otte said Biokorf looks to provide compounding pharmacists with prefabricated parts with known specifications that can be designed and assembled by the pharmacist into a final dosage form.
 
“Pharmacists could readily load capsules with whatever size disc they need. Instead of blending bulk powders, filling capsules and testing, pharmacists can use the discs,” he said. “Another advantage is that the discs would be tested in advance by Biokorf, and specs would be provided to the pharmacists.”
 
Otte said the company has begun contacting pharmacists in Indiana to determine what they need from the prefabricated drug dosage technology.
 
“We are building the system around what our in-state contacts want. They are helping us determine which pharmaceuticals we should start with, which is initially leading us to look at hormone replacement therapy. We are building prototype products they may use in their pharmacy. Our contacts could help us with customer validation, too,” he said. “Additionally, Biokorf is looking to connect with partners and funding to move this process from the laboratory to the market.”
 
Otte said the Purdue Office of Technology Commercialization and Purdue Foundry have supported Biokorf officials throughout the process to translate the Purdue technology into a startup.
 
“OTC and the Foundry have supported us from company inception to licensing the technology and now toward customer and partner development,” he said. “Without the guidance and expertise these two organizations have provided us, we could not have moved forward with the technology. They play a vital role in aiding faculty, student and community entrepreneurs to launch and commercialize their ideas.”
 
Date: September 26, 2014
Source: Purdue University

Filed Under: Drug Discovery

 

Related Articles Read More >

Lokavant’s Spectrum v15 uses AI to cut trial-feasibility modeling from weeks to minutes
Prime time for peptide-based drug discovery 
Why smaller, simpler molecular glues are gaining attention in drug discovery
Glass vial, pipette and woman scientist in laboratory for medical study, research or experiment. Test tube, dropper and professional female person with chemical liquid for pharmaceutical innovation
Unlocking ‘bench-to-bedside’ discoveries requires better data sharing and collaboration
“ddd
EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND STAY CONNECTED
Get the latest news and trends happening now in the drug discovery and development industry.

MEDTECH 100 INDEX

Medtech 100 logo
Market Summary > Current Price
The MedTech 100 is a financial index calculated using the BIG100 companies covered in Medical Design and Outsourcing.
Drug Discovery and Development
  • MassDevice
  • DeviceTalks
  • Medtech100 Index
  • Medical Design Sourcing
  • Medical Design & Outsourcing
  • Medical Tubing + Extrusion
  • Subscribe to our E-Newsletter
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • R&D World
  • Drug Delivery Business News
  • Pharmaceutical Processing World

Copyright © 2025 WTWH Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media
Privacy Policy | Advertising | About Us

Search Drug Discovery & Development

  • Home Drug Discovery and Development
  • Drug Discovery
  • Women in Pharma and Biotech
  • Oncology
  • Neurological Disease
  • Infectious Disease
  • Resources
    • Video features
    • Podcast
    • Webinars
  • Pharma 50
    • 2025 Pharma 50
    • 2024 Pharma 50
    • 2023 Pharma 50
    • 2022 Pharma 50
    • 2021 Pharma 50
  • Advertise
  • SUBSCRIBE