Aché and Ferring explore nanotechnologies in Brazil

São Paulo, Brazil-based pharmaceutical and healthcare company Aché Laboratorios Farmaceuticos is betting on nanotechnology to deliver the next generation of prescription medicines.

The company is aiming to complete construction this year of the Nanotechnology Innovation Laboratory Enterprise (NILE), in the company’s home state of São Paulo, in a partnership with privately-held Swiss firm Ferring Pharmaceuticals.

Edson Bernes, director of innovation at Aché, explains that the priority of NILE is to develop technologies that will allow medications to be better absorbed by the body.

The science of nanotechnology allows manufacturing and engineering on a scale which normally applies to the production of circuits and electronic devices with the dimensions of atoms and molecules. A nanometre equals a billionth of a metre.

“Developing new therapeutic entities by improving drug delivery characteristics of existing molecules could help improve quality of life for patients all over the world,” said Paulo Nigro, Aché chief executive.

Alan Harris, senior vice president of R&D at Ferring, said: “Peptides and proteins delivered orally are challenged by their inherent poor bioavailability and stability in the gastrointestinal tract, leading to less predictive therapeutic effect.”

“Our collaboration is focused on developing new nanotechnology-based pharmaceutical treatments to solve these challenges and better serve the needs of our patients.”

The center will explore nanotechnologies to match each company’s therapeutic goals. For Ferring, this means a focus on peptides and proteins in reproductive health, gastroenterology and urology.

Aché will focus on accelerating new therapeutic entity developments addressing different technical needs, in order to deliver better product solutions.