Proving pharynx formulation equivalence with specific models

Reckitt Benckiser scientists came to MedPharm with a challenge: can we devise models to determine how well their flurbiprofen throat spray and lozenge permeate the drug in the human pharynx? In response, the MedPharm team developed clinically relevant in vitro models and incorporated them into a study to test the permeation of each flurbiprofen formulation. Our product development team used ex vivo pharynx tissue from pigs and the team used ex vivo pharynx tissue from human cadavers for the full experiment.

MedPharm’s findings demonstrated that the permeation of flurbiprofen from the two formulations was the same. These data also supported the calculation of a clinically relevant dose for the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. These findings were later published at the 3^rd German Pharm-Tox Summit in Germany, 2018 and used to educate key opinion leaders on the equivalence of Reckitt Benckiser’s formulations.