- DehydraTECH™ methodology offers safer alternative to smoking
- Possible nicotine delivery platform for Big Tobacco
- Several licensing agreements for technology already signed
Formula One racing is not the only place to find speed. The drug delivery platform DehydraTECH™, developed by Lexaria Bioscience Corp. (CSE: LXX) (OTCQX: LXRP), has proven that it’s just as fast. In recent in vivo tests, the technology delivered 203 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) of nicotine in 15 minutes, 70 percent more than the control. Such rapidity may rival smoking; particularly as new research (http://nnw.fm/PMz57) suggests that “nicotine takes much longer than previously thought to reach peak levels in the brains of cigarette smokers.” For tobacco industry giants on the search for safer delivery methods than smoking, the DehydraTECH™ platform is increasingly beginning to look like an attractive alternative.
Earlier in August, Lexaria announced the results of its second in vivo study of 2018, evaluating the use of DehydraTECH as a nicotine delivery system (http://nnw.fm/l2QNQ). The company revealed that it had successfully transported nicotine in an edible form into blood plasma just minutes after dosing in an animal in vivo study. Its DehydraTECH technology delivered nicotine at each of the two-, four-, six-, eight- and 10-minute intervals post-dosing, with 90.2 percent greater delivery than the concentration-matched control formulation by the 10-minute mark (95 percent CI; p=0.044) and significantly greater absorption levels than the control formulation at all subsequent time points in the study.
Rapidity of delivery was notable; nicotine was detected in the first blood sampling at the two-minute mark. On average, Lexaria’s technology delivered 203 ng/mL to the blood in aggregate of the two-, four-, six-, eight-, 10-, 12- and 15-minute time points, compared to only 120 ng/mL in aggregate over the same period by the control, an improvement of 70 percent (95 percent CI; p=0.0004). This test represents Lexaria’s second in vivo nicotine study, building on the previous nicotine breakthrough study announced in April 2018. Its promising results are good news for Lexaria; as Big Tobacco continues its quest for ‘reduced-risk’ products, DehydraTECH may have a role to play (http://nnw.fm/DE9mG).
The DehydraTECH drug delivery platform overcomes a serious limitation to nicotine ingestion. The human GI system struggles to process nicotine in the forms in which it is presently offered – one reason why there are currently no edible nicotine products available. However, DehydraTECH employs a patented, cost-effective delivery mechanism, employing lipophilic agents, that improves the bio-absorption and bioavailability of ingestible substances, as well as their taste and smell, as demonstrated by the recent in vivo studies.
Application of the technology extends beyond nicotine to non-psychoactive cannabinoids, vitamins and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and Lexaria has licensed the technology to a number of companies. These include chocolate maker Nuka Enterprises; cannabis beverage manufacturer GP Holdings; Biolog, which markets hemp-based, cannabidiol (CBD)-infused products and vitamins; and others.
Lexaria is expecting to sign more licensing agreements to enhance cannabinoid delivery before year-end 2018. These are typically six-figure contracts in the first year and potentially seven-figure contracts over the life of the deals. Licensing is a lucrative business model that typically yields 90-100 percent of revenues as profit. Lexaria is hopeful that its demonstrated speed of nicotine delivery will translate into technology licensing agreements for enhanced nicotine delivery. At present, the tobacco industry generates about 20 times more revenue than the cannabis industry, an indication that Lexaria’s DehydraTECH drug delivery platform may soon be available at your local smoke shop.
For more information, visit the company’s website at www.LexariaBioscience.com
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