Hamid Omidian, PhD, Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Nova Southeastern University talks about research being done to create abuse deterrent medication to reduce prescription abuse and overdose.
Interview by Ivanhoe Broadcast News in July 2017.
Tell us what prompted this research for you personally?
Omidian: Back in 2010 when we started a graduate program we had our first PhD student Dr. David Mastropietro, he gave a presentation as part of the requirement for the PhD program on drug abuse. That was the first moment actually in my whole career I heard about this epidemic. He mentioned something at that presentation that caught my attention, which was the story of dumpster diving that they have been seeing at the national level and also in Broward County. High schoolers going out to hospital dumpsters for fenton patches and then they punch them and they sell one dollar a piece to each other. What caught my attention was not only the tragedy that you’re hearing as a story, live story that’s going on in your surrounding environment but also as a father. I have a son who is thirteen years of age, just a freshman in high school. This is the first time I told myself we have to do something if we can. That’s why David and I sat together, we had different sessions, different discussions about what we can do and that’s how everything actually started.
Explain what are abuse deterrent medications and what you guys are doing in the lab?
Omidian: For example with oxycodone, oxycodone hydrochloride is a pain medication. It can have an immediate release formulation or it can have an immediate extended release formulation. You can have it as a regular tablet with no abuse deterrent feature; you can have it as a tablet with abuse deterrent features. The only difference between the two is when you have a tablet; you’re supposed to take it orally. It goes through your stomach acid and the enzymes etc. there’s all those things that helps the drug to be released as intended. With the abuse deterrent version of that oxycodone we should be getting the same result. The release profile of the drug is not going to be changing. Even if you’re claiming that you have reused the current technology in that medication, the release remaining the same as long as the patient is taking it as required or as intended, they are supposed to take it orally. But if they are by any chance taking it by snorting, crush the tablet and snorting or crushing the tablet, putting it into a solution, throw it into syringes and injecting it, then it’s going to be a different story. That’s when this technology that they have developed is going to be working.
Talk about that technology, how does that work and are will the people still be getting the same type of medication or pain relief?
Omidian: Every technology that we are developing in the lab there are two general tests that we have to do. We have to make sure that the release is going to be in place. We put it into this solution tester and we make sure that there is an immediate release; it is going to be released as intended. If it’s an extended release medication then is it going to be released over a period of time as intended? In the meantime part of that experiment, we have to do a lot of in vetro abuse study, just to make sure that the technology they’re claiming is going to be offering deterrent to the abuse. We have technologies in our tool box which we offer deterrent to abuse by insufflations, so it’s crush resistant. It is like a PVC pipe, it’s very resistant, it’s very hard, it’s very difficult to crush into fine powder for snorting. In the meantime we have technologies which build up viscosity, which forms gel in medium ten millimeter of solution that they’re going to be using. It’s going to be impossible for the abuser to draw that solution into a syringe and then inject it. If we have combined technology this is our whole focus is to maximize the entrapment of the drug, then the medication is going to be manipulated.
When you mentioned the liquefying it, will actually turn in to a glob or gel that cannot be extracted with a needle?
Omidian: Exactly, the polymers that we have in there could act very fast. The thing is you may ask if that polymer is going to be acting so quickly, how is this medication going to be working for a patient if taken as intended. In the stomach, we’re talking about at least three hundred millionth of a stomach acid. That polymer, the concentration of the amount of polymer that they have in the medication is not going to be high enough to have any effect. So we will see that intended release profile. But in the abuse condition we are dealing with only may be maximum of ten millionth of the solution, and this is when actually the amount of polymer that you put in there is going to be showing its effect.
Bottom line these medications that you all are creating in the lab will deter abuse and also be effective and safe for patients, that’s the end goal basically?
Omidian: Every scientist, any scientist who is claiming that they have abuse deterrent technology; they have to prove that the technology is not going to be affecting the therapeutic effectiveness of that medication. That’s the first part that has to be done as the first part. The second part is they have to show that this medication has abuse deferred properties and be sure they have it.
How far away or how close are we to these formulations coming out of here and going into the market?
Omidian: The next step for us is we continue developing technologies in the lab and building up our inventory of inventions, disclosures, and patent finding. We are hoping that the pharmaceutical manufacturers or any manufacturer, chemical manufactures who are having hand or supplying things to pharmaceutical industry become interested in our technology so we can start the funding.
So at least maybe a couple of years?
Omidian: It can happen anytime, maybe today or tomorrow. We have been pursuing this very actively.
And very passionate about it.
Omidian: Exactly, exactly. The only problem we have right now is abuse deterrent medication in the market; it’s not mandated by the FDA right now. Maybe it is not much of a motivation for the parent company or genetic company to knock on our door.
But you are thinking at some point the FDA will have these types of medications mandated?
Omidian: That’s part of the deal, it would happen, it will happen.
END OF INTERVIEW
This information is intended for additional research purposes only. It is not to be used as a prescription or advice from Ivanhoe Broadcast News, Inc. or any medical professional interviewed. Ivanhoe Broadcast News, Inc. assumes no responsibility for the depth or accuracy of physician statements. Procedures or medicines apply to different people and medical factors; always consult your physician on medical matters.
If you would like more information, please contact:
Scott Kjelson
954-262-1194
Sign up for a free weekly e-mail on Medical Breakthroughs called First to Know by clicking here.
