Frost & Sullivan Award Highlights CIS Pharma's Technology Innovation in Polymer Industry

LONDON, April 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Based on its recent analysis of the responsive polymer for bio-medical application market, Frost & Sullivan recognises CIS Pharma with the 2011 European Frost & Sullivan Technology Innovation Award for its unique Cellophil™ bio-medical polymer technology.

"This novel temperature-responsive polymer, based on bi-functional amino-acids, exhibits superior biocompatibility, while resolving biocompatibility issues such as bio-film and infection-related problems associated with conventional medical-grade polymers for bio-medical use," remarks Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Arpita Mukherjee. "The polymer can be loaded with drugs for target-specific release, improving the quality of patient care and addressing unmet medical needs. Drugs can be incorporated into the delivery system, either covalently or based on ionic interactions."

With its intelligent functionally, Cellophil™ is finding strong prospects in various bio-medical applications. It is capable of phase transition and changes from liquid to solid phase when delivered to the human body. The transition temperature is adjustable and is set anywhere in between 30 degrees C to 37 degrees C for medical applications, depending on the desired site of delivery, and the phase transition is reversible.

"The most noticeable factor is that with control over chemical and physical properties such as hydrophilicity, water content, porosity, optical clarity, ultra-violet (UV) absorption, adhesive properties, surface texture, and permeability, drugs delivered site- and target-specific by Cellophil™ drug delivery systems reduce or eliminate the adverse effect of drugs on other body parts," explains Mukherjee. "With such intelligent functionality, Cellophil™ polymer technology opens a wide range of applications for drug delivery, bio-medical implants and replacements."

Based on different Cellophil™ polymers, CIS Pharma is now developing indication-specific bio-medical products that include drug delivery systems for ophthalmology, dermatology and cardiovascular, products for reconstructive indications such as bone-replacement or skin grafting and new materials for intraocular and contact lenses.

"In the field of ophthalmology, Cellophil™ will change the way allergies, dry eye, uveitis and age-related macular degeneration are treated in the near future," says Mukherjee. "Another application in the eye care industry is to hydrophilise the surface of silicon contact lenses for increased contact lens comfort."

In the field of dermatology, Cellophil™ shows improved wound healing properties. It can be washed away and reapplied, another advantage of its thermo-responsiveness. In the cardiovascular arena, dual-drug-eluting stents with improved safety profiles are being developed, with heart valves slated to be the next target.

"Extensive safety studies have confirmed the biocompatibility of Cellophil™ polymers," concludes Mukherjee. "Cellophil™ technology creates new bio-medical applications for polymers; CIS Pharma is set to establish new standards in the field of bio-medical polymers within the next 5 years."

Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents this award to the company that has demonstrated uniqueness in developing a technology, which significantly impacts both the functionality and the customer value of new products and applications. The award lauds the relevance of the innovation to the industry.

Frost & Sullivan Best Practices Awards recognise companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research in order to identify best practices in the industry.

About CIS Pharma

For over 50 years, CIS Pharma, a drug delivery and pharmaceutical research company headquartered near Basel, Switzerland, has been developing innovative technologies and treatments in the fields of ophthalmology and dermatology. The company discovers, patents, and license-out its novel technologies and products to a wide range of life science companies, that include both start-ups and global market leaders. Applying innovative technology CIS Pharma addresses unmet medical needs and improves patient compliance as well as the safety profile of treatments. With regards to Cellophil™ the company is looking for partners to develop Cellophil™ biomedical polymers with indication-specific properties to address unmet medical needs with drug delivery systems and biomedical implants

About Frost & Sullivan

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SOURCE Frost & Sullivan