TIMERx Oral Controlled-Release Drug Delivery System

The novel oral controlled-release drug delivery system TIMERx is a pregranulated blend composed of synergistic heterodisperse polysaccharides (usually xanthan gum and locust bean gum) together with a saccharide component (generally dextrose). The technology is capable of delivery a wide range of drugs and is customized to accommodate a variety of physicochemical and pharmacokinetic properties and release profiles. The material has uniform packing characteristics over a range of different particle size distributions and is capable of processing into tablets using either direct compression, following addition of drug and lubricant, or conventional wet granulation. The synergism between the homo- and heteropolysaccharide components of the system enables formulation manipulation of different rate-controlling mechanisms. The ultimate rate of drug release is controlled by the rate of water penetration into the matrix. The technology is well protected with over 90 patents issued worldwide.

Drug release from tablets containing the polysaccharide system is capable of control using a variety of different formulations and process methods to provide a variety of release modalities that are capable of matrix-dimension independence. Control of drug release is achieved by manipulation of the synergistic interactions of the heterodisperse polysaccharides to regulate the rate of water penetration into the tablet and subsequent diffusion of the drug across the gel layer.