Ketoprofen, lysine and gabapentin co-crystal magnifies synergistic efficacy and tolerability of the constituent drugs: Pre-clinical evidences towards an innovative therapeutic approach for neuroinflammatory pain

An analysis of multidrug multicomponent crystals as tools for drug development

In a typical tablet or capsule formulation, the active drug is often present as a crystalline solid. This solid emerges from the relationships between the individual atoms within the crystal, which confer a distinct set of physical properties. Then, it follows that if we modify the packing arrangement of the individual molecules within these crystals, we can modulate their properties. This can be achieved by crystal engineering. Crystal engineering has also seen teams arrange multiple drug molecules within the same crystal, resulting in dramatic improvements to drug properties in the lab. The success of drugs like SEGLENTIS® and Entresto® have revitalised interest in these forms, but controversy surrounding their translation has prompted this reconsideration of their clinical utility. I reflect on the current academic, clinical, and commercial interest in multidrug multicomponent crystals, drawing parallels with developments pre-Bragg, contributing to a nuanced understanding of the potential and limitations of crystal engineering in pharmaceutical applications.

Fabricating Ultra-Narrow Precision Slit Structures with Periodically Reducing Current Over-Growth Electroforming

An ultra-narrow precision slit with a width of less than ten micrometers is the key structure of some optical components, but the fabrication of these structures is still very difficult to accomplish. To fabricate these slits, this paper proposed a periodically reducing current over-growth electroforming process. In the periodically reducing current over-growth electroforming, the electric current applied to the electrodeposition process is periodically stepped down rather than being constant. Simulations and experimentation studies were carried out to verify the feasibility of the proposed process, and further optimization of process parameters was implemented experimentally to achieve the desired ultra-narrow precision slits. The current values were: I1=Iinitial, I2=0.75Iinitial at Qc=0.5Qt, I3=0.5Iinitial at Qc=0.75Qt,respectively. It was shown that, compared with conventional constant current over-growth electroforming, the proposed process can significantly improve the surface quality and geometrical accuracy of the fabricated slits and can markedly enhance the achievement of the formed ultra-narrow slits. With the proposed process, slits with a width of down to 5 ± 0.1 μm and a surface roughness of less than 62.8 nm can be easily achieved. This can improve the determination sensitivity and linear range of the calibration curves of spectral imagers and food and chemical analysis instruments. Periodically reducing current over-growth electroforming is effective and advantageous in fabricating ultra-narrow precision slits.

Combination Drug Therapy for the Management of Chronic Neuropathic Pain

Chronic neuropathic pain (NP) is an increasingly prevalent disease and leading cause of disability which is challenging to treat. Several distinct classes of drugs are currently used for the treatment of chronic NP, but each drug targets only narrow components of the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms, bears limited efficacy, and comes with dose-limiting side effects. Multimodal therapies have been increasingly proposed as potential therapeutic approaches to target the multiple mechanisms underlying nociceptive transmission and modulation. However, while preclinical studies with combination therapies showed promise to improve efficacy over monotherapy, clinical trial data on their efficacy in specific populations are lacking and increased risk for adverse effects should be carefully considered. Drug-drug co-crystallization has emerged as an innovative pharmacological approach which can combine two or more different active pharmaceutical ingredients in a single crystal, optimizing pharmacokinetic and physicochemical characteristics of the native molecules, thus potentially capitalizing on the synergistic efficacy between classes of drugs while simplifying adherence and minimizing the risk of side effects by reducing the doses. In this work, we review the current pharmacological options for the treatment of chronic NP, focusing on combination therapies and their ongoing developing programs and highlighting the potential of co-crystals as novel approaches to chronic NP management.