42 Technology secures global rights to GSK ‘sticky web’ technology

Product design and development consultancy 42 Technology (42T) has been granted worldwide pharmaceutical rights by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to a breakthrough high volume manufacturing technology for precision powder dispensing. The consultancy had already secured the rights for non-pharmaceutical markets but is now actively seeking development partners in all application areas in the pharmaceutical and consumer healthcare industry. SR One, GSK’s venture capital arm, played an instrumental role in the identification, structuring and transfer of the rights of this technology to 42T.

‘Sticky web’ is a novel technology for which patents have been applied that can accurately ‘print’ powdered APIs [active pharmaceutical ingredients] onto edible or inert webs coated with adhesive, without damaging the powder and at high speed. The powdered areas can then be die cut, folded, rolled or further processed into a novel dose form. The approach delivers active dose weights of 1 to 100 mg, with accuracies better than 5% and completely eliminates the need for check weighing – the rate limiting step with all of today’s powder dispensing systems.

Sticky web was first developed by 42T for GSK as a high speed manufacturing process to handle pure APIs; whereas conventional capsule filling or tablet manufacture relies on bulking out active materials with excipients to make them easier to weigh out and process. As a result, this new technology can significantly shorten R&D timescales by eliminating or reducing the need for costly, time-consuming formulation and stability studies. Sticky web is also perfect for high speed production environments as online inspection systems can be used to validate every powdered area and to improve process feedback, increase efficiency and reduce costs.

“Under the terms of our initial agreement, 42 Technology was allowed originally by GSK to exploit sticky web technology for a number of major opportunities outside the pharmaceutical arena. The approach offers considerable promise in many areas and we see benefits in widening the scope of the licence. GSK will retain the core patents to sticky web and will support 42 Technology over the coming months in finding additional potential development partners,” said Dr Keith Smith, manager strategic technologies at GSK pharmaceutical development.

Sticky web is based on 42T’s discovery that the quantity of powder adhering to a piece of sticky tape is directly proportional to the surface area of the tape. The consultancy subsequently developed the core technology for GSK, several adhesives and designs for a high-speed powder dispense drum and production machine capable of delivering up to 60,000 doses per hour. The approach works for virtually any powder and can accurately dose onto a variety of webs, such as flat carrier tape and bubbles. Two or more materials can even be combined within the same delivery package.