DEPOMED: LEADER
IN GASTRIC
RETENTION TECHNOLOGY
Carl A. Pelzel
President & CEO
Depomed, Inc.
Drug Delivery Technology March 2009 Vol 9 No 3
56
“As line extensions
with little
differentiation are
called into question,
Big Pharma’s
enormous
investments in new
chemical entity
development
programs are
becoming more
risky. In contrast,
Depomed’s model of
leveraging our
AcuForm technology
to develop known
chemical entities
has proven to be far
less costly and less
risky.”
Depomed, Inc., (NASDAQ: DEPO) is a specialty pharmaceutical
company with a proven, proprietary AcuFormTM gastric retentive drug
delivery technology to improve existing oral medications, allowing for
extended, controlled release of medications to absorption sites in the upper
gastrointestinal tract. Benefits of AcuForm-enhanced pharmaceuticals include the
convenience of once-daily administration, improved treatment tolerability, and
enhanced compliance and efficacy. Depomed has two approved products on the
market. GLUMETZA® (metformin hydrochloride extended release tablets) is
approved for use in adults with type 2 diabetes and promoted by Santarus, Inc. in
the US. Proquin® XR (ciprofloxacin hydrochloride) is approved in the US for the
once-daily treatment of uncomplicated urinary tract infections and is marketed by
Watson Pharmaceuticals. Depomed’s late-stage pipeline includes product
candidate DM-1796 in Phase III clinical development for the treatment of
neuropathic pain and has been licensed to Solvay Pharmaceuticals. Product
candidate DM-5689 is in Phase III clinical development for menopausal hot
flashes. Drug Delivery Technology recently interviewed Carl A. Pelzel, President
and Chief Executive Officer of Depomed, to discuss the company’s technology, its
business model, and strategic goals.
Q: What do you believe are the
current major challenges of the
pharmaceutical industry, and how
can drug delivery technologies add
value today?
A: Two significant challenges facing Big
Pharma are R&D productivity and the need to
fill the pipeline amid a number of patent
expirations of blockbuster products. The
receptivity of new products is changing as well.
New chemical entities are not an automatic
route to success, as managed care, physicians,
and payers insist on meaningful product
differentiation. As line extensions with little
differentiation are called into question, Big
Pharma’s enormous investments in new
chemical entity development programs are
becoming more risky. In contrast, Depomed’s
model of leveraging our AcuForm technology
to develop known chemical entities has proven
to be far less costly and less risky. The reason is
simple. We identify a target product profile in
advance using a compound with a long-
