Bend Research and the Dow Chemical Co. have entered an exclusive collaboration to provide science-based spray-dried dispersion (SDD) solutions and select enabling new polymers for poorly soluble oral drugs.
 
Dow and Bend will work together to provide fully characterized polymers supported by Quality by Design (QbD) principles and the ability to tailor materials to meet the performance needs of specific drugs. The two companies will also develop and commercialize new materials for SDDs that address technology gaps in manufacturability and delivery to help provide greater drug product utility and therapeutic performance. Dow will provide hypromellose and hypromellose acetate succinate, as well as options to tailor these materials, and next-generation cellulosic and noncellulosic polymers for enhanced performance.
 
“We welcome the opportunity to further focus Dow’s proven excipient and materials science expertise in the area of enhancing drug solubility, and we are enthusiastic about working with the world leader in spray-dried dispersions to ensure that our customers receive the best possible polymer solutions,” said Bob Maughon, senior R&D director for Dow.
 
“We are proud to announce the collaboration between Bend Research and Dow,” said Rod Ray, Bend Research’s chief executive officer. “Our two companies have used rigorous science, grounded in fundamentals, to develop new excipients that improve the performance of our solubilization technologies. It is extremely important to us not only to develop new technologies for our clients, but to use cutting-edge research to enhance our existing technologies. Our collaboration with Dow is part of that initiative. It also ensures our clients access to a reliable supply of solubilization excipients that meet the critical-to-quality properties that are key to the performance of their compounds.”