Egalet® Two-Part Oral System
The Egalet® system consists of two components: shell (coat) and matrix. The drug is distributed throughout the matrix, which is eroded by gut movements and gastrointestinal fluids as it passes through the gut. The drug release mechanism is surface erosion, effected through water diffusion, polymer hydration, disentanglement, and dissolution. The matrix is designed to erode when in contact with available water but, at the same time, it is desirable that water does not diffuse into the matrix until the point of release, thus avoiding hydrolysis and diffusion and reducing the effects of luminal enzymatic activity. The entrapment in the Egalet® matrix also protects the active compounds from oxygen and humidity and therefore the technology is suited for chemically unstable substances and thus is able to increase shelf-life of the drug product. An additional attribute of the erosion based system is its ability to deliver water-insoluble compounds in a controlled manner. The shell is biodegradable but with a disintegrating profile making the shell last longer than the matrix.
