Pharmaxis designed its Orbital technology to deliver high-payload dry powder to the lungs, helping to meet the need to deliver high doses of drugs such as antibiotics.
According to a news release, the Orbital inhaler allows payloads of up to 400mg to be inhaled by patients in divided doses without the need to reload. It was originally developed as a life cycle extending product for the Pharmaxis cystic fibrosis drug Bronchitol (mannitol).
“With this acquisition, Aptar Pharma is pleased to be building on our current expertise for the treatment of chronic conditions,” Howard Burnett, Aptar Pharma VP of global pulmonary, said in the release. “As a recognized global leader in respiratory drug delivery devices and associated services, we now have a wider offering to meet our customer needs.”
Aptar said the acquisition strengthens its leadership in the respiratory space by expanding its offerings of a broad range of devices and services.
“I am delighted that Aptar Pharma, who are one of the world’s foremost drug delivery device companies, have seen the potential in the Orbital technology,” Pharmaxis CEO Gary Phillips said. “We look forward to them building on the technical evaluations carried out during the option period and delivering new product solutions that can benefit drug developers and patients. Today’s announcement is a further example of our strategy to generate non-dilutive cash from the mannitol respiratory business.”
