Egalet patents tamper-resistant Guardian tablet

Egalet deterred potential product hijacking by using a unique adaptation of the commonly used injection molding process.
Egalet deterred potential product hijacking by using a unique adaptation of the commonly used injection molding process. | Contributed image

Fortified with time-release traits, Egalet Corp.’s Guardian tablet has received a U.S. patent, enabling the Pennsylvania-based firm to adapt the medication for potential future products.

The specialty pharmaceutical marketer developed its branded Guardian Technology with multiple goals in mind: not only to alleviate patient discomfort as intended, but also to formulate the medication in such a way that it is extremely difficult to replicate illicitly.

In designing Guardian, Egalet deterred potential product hijacking by using a unique adaptation of the commonly used injection molding process. The resulting polymer matrix both renders tablets hard to misappropriate and enhances the medicine’s time-release capabilities.

“Tablets manufactured with Guardian Technology have been shown to have increased resistance to physical methods of manipulation, such as cutting, crushing, grinding or breaking,” Egalet said on its website. “They are also resistant to chemical manipulation and attempts at extraction and turn into a viscous hydrogel on contact with liquid, making syringeability very difficult.”

The company’s Guardian Technology is designed to work with a variety of pharmaceutical applications. Egalet Corp. focuses on developing, manufacturing and marketing unique pain remedies to address conditions for which other medications prove unsatisfactory. It is working on clinical-stage potential products for chronic pain with an emphasis on abuse deterrence.