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Last Updated: March 28, 2024

Claims for Patent: 6,673,574


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Summary for Patent: 6,673,574
Title: Oral delivery of peptides using enzyme-cleavable membrane translocators
Abstract:Bioavailability of peptide active agents to be administered orally is enhanced by a pharmaceutical composition providing targeted release of the peptide to the intestine in addition to having the active peptide linked to a membrane translocator which is capable of being at least partially cleaved in vivo by an enzyme. The composition includes an acid-resistant protective vehicle which transports components of the invention through the stomach and a sufficient amount of a pH-lowering agent to lower local intestinal pH. All components are released together into the intestine with the peptide.
Inventor(s): Stern; William (Tenafly, NJ), Mehta; Nozer M. (Randolph, NJ), Ray; Martha V. L. (Nutley, NJ)
Assignee: Unigene Laboratories Inc. (Fairfield, NJ)
Application Number:09/997,465
Patent Claims:1. A pharmaceutical composition for oral delivery of a physiologically active peptide agent comprising: (A) a therapeutically effective amount of said active peptide linked to a membrane translocator, said membrane translocator possesses the capability of being at least partially cleaved from the active peptide in vivo by an enzyme; (B) at least one pharmaceutically acceptable pH-lowering agent and/or protease inhibitor; and (C) an acid resistant protective vehicle effective to transport said pharmaceutical composition through the stomach of a patient while preventing contact between said active peptide agent and stomach proteases.

2. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 1, wherein said membrane translocator comprises a molecule selected from the group consisting of peptide, fatty acid and bile acid.

3. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 2, wherein said peptide is a signal peptide.

4. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 1, wherein said membrane translocator comprises an amino acid sequence selected from at least one of the group consisting of all or part of kaposi fibroblast growth factor signal peptide, protein transduction domain of HIV TAT protein, human integrin .beta.2 signal sequence, HSV-1 VP22 protein and OmpA signal peptide.

5. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 1, wherein said pH-lowering agent is present in said pharmaceutical composition in a quantity which, if said composition were added to ten milliliters of 0.1M aqueous sodium bicarbonate solution, would be sufficient to lower the pH of said solution to no higher than 5.5.

6. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 1, wherein said pH-lowering agent is present in a quantity which, if said composition were added to ten milliliters of 0.1M aqueous sodium bicarbonate solution, would be sufficient to lower the pH of said solution to no higher than 3.5.

7. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 1, wherein said protease inhibitor is a stomach and/or intestine protease inhibitor.

8. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 1, wherein said protease inhibitor inhibits an enzyme selected from the group consisting of pepsin, trypsin, chymotrypsin, elastase, kallikrein and carboxypeptidase.

9. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 1, wherein said in vivo enzyme is selected from the group consisting of caspase-1, caspase-3, proprotein convertase 1, proprotein convertase 2, proprotein convertase 4, proprotein convertase 4 PACE 4, prolyl oligopeptidase, endothelin cleaving enzyme, dipeptidyl-peptidase IV, signal peptidase, neprilysin, renin and esterase.

10. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 1, wherein said protective vehicle is present at a weight which is no more than 30% of the weight of the remainder of said pharmaceutical composition.

11. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 1, wherein said protective vehicle is present at a weight which is no more than 20% of the weight of the remainder of said pharmaceutical composition.

12. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 1, wherein said protective vehicle is present at a weight which is between 10% and 20% of the weight of the remainder of said pharmaceutical composition.

13. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 1, wherein said protective vehicle is sufficient to prevent breakdown of said pharmaceutical composition in 0.1N HCl for at least two hours, yet permits complete release of all contents of said pharmaceutical composition within 45 minutes after pH is increased to 6.3 in a dissolution bath in which said composition is rotating at 100 revolutions per minute.

14. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 1 further containing at least one absorption enhancer effective to promote bioavailability of said active agent.

15. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 14, wherein said absorption enhancer is a surface active agent.

16. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 15, wherein said surface active agent is absorbable or biodegradable.

17. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 16, wherein said surface active agent is selected from the group consisting of acylcamitines, phospholipids and bile acids.

18. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 17, wherein said enhancer is an acyl carnitine.

19. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 18, further including a sucrose ester.

20. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 14, wherein said absorption enhancer is a surface active agent selected from the group consisting of (i) an anionic agent that is a cholesterol derivative, (ii) a mixture of a negative charge neutralizer and an anionic surface active agent, (iii) non-ionic surface active agents, and (iv) cationic surface active agents.

21. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 14, wherein said absorption enhancer is selected from the group consisting of a cationic surfactant and an anionic surfactant that is a cholesterol derivative.

22. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 14, wherein said pharmaceutical composition includes at least two absorption enhancers, one of which is a cationic surface active agent, and another of which is an anionic surface active agent that is a cholesterol derivative.

23. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 22, wherein said anionic surface active agent is an acid-soluble bile acid.

24. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 1, further comprising an amount of a second peptide that is not a physiologically active peptide effective to enhance bioavailability of said peptide active agent.

25. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 1, further comprising a water soluble barrier that separates said pH-lowering agent from said protective vehicle.

26. A pharmaceutical composition of claim 1, wherein said composition includes at least one pH-lowering agent that has a pKa no higher than 4.2.

27. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 1, wherein at least one pH-lowering agent has a solubility in water of at least 30 grams per 100 milliliters of water at room temperature.

28. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 1, wherein all ingredients other than said protective vehicle are uniformly dispersed.

29. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 28, wherein said pharmaceutical composition comprises granules containing a pharmaceutical binder and, uniformly dispersed in said binder, said pH-lowering agent, said absorption enhancer and said peptide active agent.

30. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 14, wherein said composition is a solid dosage form wherein a weight ratio of said pH-lowering agent to said absorption enhancer is between 3:1 and 20:1.

31. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 14, wherein said composition is a solid dosage form wherein the weight ratio of said pH-lowering agent to said absorption enhancer is between 5:1 and 10:1.

32. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 1, wherein said pH-lowering agent is selected from the group consisting of citric acid, tartaric acid and an acid salt of an amino acid.

33. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 1, wherein said pH-lowering agent is present in an amount not less than 300 milligrams.

34. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 33, wherein said pH-lowering agent is present in an amount which is not less than 400 milligrams.

35. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 1, wherein said peptide agent is human glucagon-like peptide 1 or analog thereof.

36. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 1, wherein said peptide agent is salmon calcitonin.

37. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 1, wherein said peptide agent is insulin.

38. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 1, wherein said peptide agent is human parathyroid hormone or analog thereof.

39. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 1, wherein said protective vehicle is a viscous protective syrup.

40. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 36, wherein the weight ratio of said pH-lowering agent to said salmon calcitonin is at least 200:1.

41. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 36, wherein the weight ratio of said pH-lowering agent to said salmon calcitonin is at least 800:1.

42. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 36, wherein the weight ratio of said pH-lowering agent to said salmon calcitonin is at least 2000:1.

43. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 32, wherein a water soluble barrier separates said pH-lowering agent from said protective vehicle.

44. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 36, wherein said enteric coating is present at a weight which is no more than 30% of the weight of the remainder of said pharmaceutical composition excluding said protective vehicle.

45. A method for enhancing the bioavailability of an orally delivered physiologically active peptide agent comprising: (A) linking said peptide agent to a membrane translocator that possesses the capability of being at least partially cleaved in vivo by an enzyme; and (B) selectively releasing said peptide active agent linked to said membrane translocator, together with at least one pH-lowering agent and/or protease inhibitor into a patient's intestine following passage of said peptide active agent, pH-lowering agent and/or protease inhibitor through said patient's mouth and stomach under protection of an acid resistant protective vehicle which substantially prevents contact between stomach proteases and said peptide agent.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein said membrane translocator comprises a molecule selected from the group consisting of signal peptide, fatty acid and bile acid.

47. The method of claim 45, wherein said membrane translocator comprises an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of all or part of kaposi fibroblast growth factor signal peptide, protein transduction domain of HIV TAT protein, human integrin .beta.2 signal sequence and HSV-1 VP22 protein.

48. The method of claim 45, wherein said pH-lowering agent is present in said pharmaceutical composition in a quantity which, if said composition were added to ten milliliters of 0.1M aqueous sodium bicarbonate solution, would be sufficient to lower the pH of said solution to no higher than 5.5.

49. The method of claim 45, wherein said pH-lowering compound is present in a quantity which, if said composition were added to ten milliliters of 0.1M aqueous sodium bicarbonate solution, would be sufficient to lower the pH of said solution to no higher than 3.5.

50. The method of claim 45, wherein said protease inhibitor is a stomach and/or intestine protease inhibitor.

51. The method of claim 45, wherein said protease inhibitor inhibits an enzyme selected from the group consisting of pepsin, trypsin, chymotrypsin, elastase, kallikrein and carboxypeptidase.

52. The method of claim 45, wherein said in vivo enzyme is selected from the group consisting of caspase-1, caspase-3, proprotein convertase 1, proprotein convertase 2, proprotein convertase 4, proprotein convertase 4 PACE 4, prolyl oligopeptidase, endothelin cleaving enzyme, dipeptidyl-peptidase IV, signal peptidase, neprilysin, renin and esterase.

53. The method of claim 45, wherein the release of said peptide active agent into a patient's intestine is carried out in the presence of at least one absorption enhancer effective to promote bioavailability of said peptide active agent.

54. The method of claim 45, wherein said peptide agent is salmon calcitonin.

55. The method of claim 54, wherein the weight ratio of said pH-lowering agent to said salmon calcitonin is at least 800:1.

56. The method of claim 54, wherein the weight ratio of said pH-lowering agent to said salmon calcitonin is at least 200:1.

57. The method of claim 54, wherein the weight ratio of said pH-lowering agent to said salmon calcitonin is at least 2000:1.

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