Reckitt Benckiser scientists came to MedPharm with a challenge: could we devise models to determine how well their flurbiprofen throat spray and lozenge deliver the drug into human pharynx tissue?

In response, MedPharm’s team developed clinically relevant in vitro models and incorporated them into a comparative study evaluating the permeation of each flurbiprofen formulation. The study utilized ex vivo pharynx tissue from pigs for model development, and human cadaver tissue for final experimental validation.

MedPharm’s findings demonstrated that flurbiprofen permeation was equivalent across both delivery forms. These data also enabled the calculation of a clinically relevant dose for this non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug.

The results were presented at the 3rd German Pharm-Tox Summit in 2018 and used to educate key opinion leaders on the demonstrated equivalence of Reckitt Benckiser’s formulations.