Emisphere Technologies, Inc.
Emisphere Technologies, Inc.
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about us - FAQs / product information
What is Emisphere's proprietary technology?
Emisphere’s broad-based oral drug delivery technology platform, known as the eligen® technology, is based on the use of proprietary, synthetic chemical compounds, known as EMISPHERE® delivery agents, or "carriers." These molecules facilitate or enable the transport of active therapeutic macromolecules across biological membranes such as those of the gastrointestinal tract and the dermis of the skin. The therapeutic properties of the drugs are unchanged once delivered. The delivery agents have no known pharmacological activity themselves at clinical dose levels.  Emisphere’s eligen® technology makes it possible to orally deliver a therapeutic molecule without altering its chemical form or biological integrity.
Is Emisphere's eligen® technology patent protected?
As of September 2006, we have been issued 88 patents on our drug delivery technologies and have over 50 applications pending in the United States with strategic international protection.
What are the benefits of Emisphere's eligen® oral drug delivery technology?
Oral delivery is a more user-friendly and often easier therapeutic option for most patients to comply with in an outpatient setting, than inpatient therapy delivered by other means (e.g., intravenous, injection). Oral outpatient therapy is less costly for the health care administrative system as well. It can shorten the length of a hospital stay, and does not require the use of disposables that may be associated with needles or devices.
Are there any additional benefits of oral therapy aside from convenience?
Apart from the obvious advantages of an oral form, the technology has many clinical advantages:
  • Physiology Mimetics The oral delivery of certain drugs (eg. Gut hormones) may provide a unique advantage in that oral delivery mimics the physiological path of endogenous secretion of these compounds.
  • Drugs for Hepato-portal destination The effects of various anti-viral and chemotherapy drugs could be improved if high concentration in the liver is required, since when given orally, these drugs are absorbed through the mesenteric veins, travel to the liver via the portal vein.
  • Advantageous pharmacokinetic profile One of the key features on the eligen® technology is the rapid onset of action.
  • Potential for increased efficacy Converting the drugs to an oral form allows for broader indications and usage and thus potentially greater efficacy of the compound.
How does the eligen® technology preserve the chemical structure of the drug compound that is being delivered?
EMISPHERE® carriers use the body's natural passive transcellular transport process, allowing macromolecules to cross membranes and yet remain therapeutically active. Studies have shown that this process does not involve chemical modification of the drug molecule and the integrity of the cell membrane and cytoskeletal structure are maintained. For more details on our technology, please visit the Technology section.
How safe is the eligen® technology?
Emisphere carriers, in combination with various therapeutic molecules have been dosed in over 140,000 human dosings with no serious adverse events attributed to the technology. In May 2006, Novartis reported that oral administration of the eligen® delivery agent administered by gavage to rats for 104 weeks is not considered carcinogenic at doses up to 750 mg per kilogram per day.
Is the eligen® technology suitable for use with multiple products?

Emisphere delivery agents are effective for a diverse group of drug molecules. These include small polar organic drug molecules such as Cromolyn, bone regulating agents and large molecules such as proteins, peptides and glycosaminglycans. Emisphere has orally delivered molecules ranging in size from 500 Daltons to over 150,000 daltons in various species, including humans. As of June 1, 2006, using the eligen® technology, we have demonstrated oral delivery of ten therapeutic molecules in humans and over 60 compounds in pre-clinical models.
What type of formulations is the eligen® technology compatible with?

The eligen® technology is versatile and is compatible with various types of oral formulations (solutions, suspensions, capsules, tablets), topical and transdermal formulations (solutions, creams and gels) and intra-nasal and buccal sprays.
Which Emisphere programs are partnered with pharmaceutical or biotechnology companies?

Emisphere has formed strategic alliances with:

  • Novartis Pharma AG The development of an oral formulation of salmon calcitonin for the treatment of osteoporosis and osteoarthritis, oral recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) for the treatment of growth disorders and an oral formulation of recombinant parathyroid hormone (PTH 1-34, or teriparatide) for the treatment of osteoporosis.
  • Roche A multi-product research collaboration.
  • Genta Incorporated The oral delivery of a Gallium compound for the treatment of hypercalcemia related to chemotherapy.
  • For more information Please visit our Partnered Programs section.
Are other companies currently working on alternate forms of drug delivery?
We are aware of other technologies around the world that are evaluating the oral, intra-nasal, buccal and topical delivery of macromolecules. However we are not aware of any other technology that achieves delivery in the same manner as Emisphere.
Does Emisphere work with other companies to deliver their drug?
Emisphere Technologies, Inc. pursues a strategy of seeking out and forming high-value, strategic partnerships with major pharmaceutical companies that have marketed products or have products in development that would benefit from our eligen® drug delivery technology.