CLINUVEL Pharmaceuticals (ASX:CUV) has announced it is advancing a new class of sustained-release liquid drug formulations into preclinical testing, marking the latest step in a decade-long investment in drug delivery research.
The formulations, developed at the company’s Singapore-based VALLAURIX laboratories, are designed to extend the release of peptide-based medicines, including melanocortins, by ensuring predictable drug exposure over time.
According to the company, this approach could optimise therapeutic benefit while reducing the frequency of dosing, which is a critical advantage for patients across age groups, from infants to adults.
A key feature of the new technology is its flexibility in dosing. By adjusting injection volumes, clinicians can tailor treatment to a patient’s weight, potentially broadening the applicability of peptide therapies. If confirmed in vivo, the depot formulations could become a platform technology adaptable to a wide range of peptides beyond the company’s immediate focus on melanocortins.
Dr Dennis Wright, CLINUVEL’s Chief Scientific Officer, described the milestone as the culmination of long-term persistence. “It has been challenging to realise the journey from drug delivery concepts to effective formulations containing the right drug loading, but recent reproducible in vitro results at VALLAURIX have given us confidence to pursue the preclinical program,” he said.
The preclinical program is expected to conclude in the second half of 2026, after which CLINUVEL will make decisions on manufacturing and potential clinical evaluation.