Amgen (NSDQ:AMGN) is partnering with West Pharmaceutical Services to integrate its SmartDose delivery platform into its Pushtronex system, the companies said today.
The SmartDose technology is designed to adhere to a patient’s body, generally on the abdomen, and requires no patient operation during administration, the companies said. The technology includes integrated silicone-free Daikyo Crystal Zeniths’s cartridge and a Fluortec coated piston containment system.
The combined drug-delivery product has already won FDA approval the companies said, and will be used to deliver a single, monthly 420 mg dose of Repatha.
“West is very pleased that Amgen has selected the SmartDose technology platform for the new monthly single dose administration option of Repatha. The combination of Amgen’s innovative treatment with West’s patient-focused technology platform is an example of how West closely collaborates with our pharmaceutical and biotechnology partners to deliver advanced, integrated solutions for drug delivery and containment,” West Pharma CEO Eric Green said in a press release.
In February, Amgen finalized a $75 million deal with Unilife (NSDQ:UNIS) for injectable drug delivery systems, a deal the companies had been working out for at least a month.
The deal includes licensing, investment, development and supply agreements and is centered around Unilife’s prefilled customizable wearable injectors, according to an SEC filing from the York, Penn.-based company.
Through the deal, Amgen will receive exclusive rights to Unilife’s wearable injectors “within select drug classes” for use with Amgen’s own assets.
Amgen will also gain non-exclusive rights to all proprietary Unilife delivery systems within oncology, inflammation, bone health, nephrology, cardiovascular and neuroscience fields.
