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Comprehensive Screening

Increased costs for drug development, weak product pipelines and, particularly, increased competition, are forcing the pharmaceutical industry to explore the true potential of existing molecules in order to maintain or extend patent protection. The quest to stretch a molecule's lifecycle has become at least as important as the discovery and development of new drug candidates. The groundwork done in early development stages and more extensive screening for solid forms at later stages help companies extend the market exclusivity period.

To identify the various crystallization "opportunities" for a drug substance, Avantium has developed new research methodologies that have led to higher success rates than traditional high-throughput approaches. Through a sequence or iteration of experimental design, high- and medium-throughput screening and chemometric analysis, and by combining state-of-the-art analytical techniques with experimental work at different scales, Avantium's comprehensive screening programs obtain the highest level of diversity and therefore provide the best chance of success. During these programs not only is polymorphism (including the formation of hydrates and solvates) studied, but amorphous forms, salts and co-crystals are prepared as well.

Lifecycle management is a strategic exercise for the pharmaceutical industry for which solid state research provides new insights and techniques. With careful timing, i.e. not too early in development and not too late, the investment in these programs is money well spent.