dsm-firmenich
POSTER PRESENTER
SCIENCE
A journey through the development of cannabidiol solid oral dosage forms: balancing API loading, physico-chemical stability and in-vivo pharmacokinetic performance
In the rapidly growing and evolving cannabinoid space, crafting more patient-centric pharmaceuticals that meet therapeutic needs and convenience is at the forefront of drug developers’ minds. The sector has a high potential for innovation, but there remains much to learn about cannabinoid ingredients and how to formulate them. Pharmaceutical manufacturers continue to face challenges due to the lipophilic nature of cannabinoid molecules and their limited solubility – attributes which significantly restrict the tools available for formulating this class of molecules. In addition to physical and chemical stability challenges, the oral bioavailability of crystalline CBD has been shown to be very low in humans (approx. 6%), due to incomplete absorption in the gut and significant pre-systemic elimination in the liver.
The objective of this work was to systematically explore a number of drug delivery technologies, previously claimed to possess the ability to enhance the bioavailability of poorly soluble drugs and assess their effectiveness in increasing the pharmacokinetic profile of CBD, whilst ensuring a good physical and chemical stability of the API and sufficient drug loading to allow for a patient-compliant solution.
BIO
Zdravka Misic, Croatian and Swiss national, holds a PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Basel. She started her carrier as a formulation scientist in Teva in 2004. In 2009 she moved to Switzerland to ETH Zürich as ESKAS (Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships for Foreign Scholars) scholarship holder. Zdravka joined dsm-firmenich in 2014 and since then she worked successfully as a Principal Pharmaceutical Scientist on developing new delivery systems for dsm-firmenich products and collaborated closely with Marketing in presenting them to customers. She is also leading the external collaborations with academic partners (University of Applied Sciences and ETH Zürich) and established CDMOs within pharmaceutical industry. Since January 2024, Zdravka switched to the position of an Innovation Project Manager dedicated to pharma innovation projects, in specific development of new oral solid CBD formulations with enhanced bioavailability.
ATTENDANCE IS LIMITED. THE OPPORTUNITIES ARE NOT.
