Catalent licenses NJIT’s taste-making technology to mask unpleasant and bitter medicines

Following a successful research collaboration with NJIT, Catalent Pharma Solutions of Somerset has announced that it has exclusively licensed innovative taste-making technology developed by NJIT Distinguished Professor Rajesh Dav-, who was the principal investigator of a research project funded by Catalent. The technology will mask the most challenging, unpleasant and bitter tasting pharmaceutical active ingredients.

Under the terms of the license, Catalent will complete transfer of the technology into its world class, cGMP facilities to support manufacture of novel dosage forms such as its Zydis- fast dissolve platform. It is expected that the taste-masking technology will be effective for developing a wide variety of formulations including granules/sachets, sprinkles, chewables, effervescent and oral dispersible tablets.

"Taste-masking of fine drug particles has remained an un-met technical challenge for formulators," said Dav-. "Through funding from Catalent we have been able to leverage our expertise to innovate technology and processes that allow for these materials to be cost effectively coated and taste-masked. This is a significant achievement for our team that included two highly-talented graduate students who delivered solutions to the Catalent challenge on time while developing strong fundamental science that would lead to journal articles."

Dav- is a long-time faculty member of Newark College of Engineering's Department of Chemical, Biological and Pharmaceutical Engineering at NJIT.

Catalent Senior Vice President of Research and Development Kurt Nielsen commented, "Dr. Dav- and his group at NJIT are leaders in particle science engineering, which has enabled a unique approach to API coating. It complements perfectly with Catalent's extensive dose form capabilities and will facilitate formulation of the most difficult-to-taste-mask actives. Catalent has already produced the first feasibility samples, which have exceeded our expectations. This technology will allow development of new dosage forms with the potential to deliver significant advantages to our customers and benefits to patients and consumers."

NJIT Associate Vice President of Technology Development Judith Sheft noted, "Collaboration with industry is an important element in the academic technology commercialization process. Industry can provide a focus, direction and input to an academic research agenda as well as the necessary resources to scale up early stage laboratory results. The project with Catalent is a wonderful example of a partnership between industry and academia that addresses both of these aspects."