Delpor

Delpor’s titanium subcutaneous implant is approximately 4–6 mm in diameter and 4–5 cm long, with diffusion areas at each end. It uses passive diffusion to enable zero-order release of certain drugs.

Schizophrenia is a chronic brain disorder that affects approximately 1.1% of the population and ranks among the top 10 causes of disability in developed countries. The market is dominated by second-generation antipsychotics.

NanoPort provides an alternative to frequent injections of biotherapeutics, including proteins and peptides. Its subcutaneous reservoir has membranes with pores or channels sized in relation to the selected drug molecules.

A patent covers Delpor’s PROZOR technology for sustained release of antipsychotics and other molecules from a matchstick-size implant. Delpor’s development candidates included six-month risperidone and three-month olanzapine formulations for schizophrenia maintenance treatment.

The NIMH funds Delpor’s work on a PROZOR-based subcutaneous implant designed to deliver olanzapine for three months through passive diffusion. The product is expected to improve medication adherence during schizophrenia maintenance treatment.

Delpor was scheduled to participate in the Innovation Zone, an exhibit space for NIH and NSF SBIR/STTR awardees. The company expected to meet potential partners interested in its implantable drug delivery technologies and its schizophrenia and diabetes programs.

Delpor has exclusive rights to the patented technology and is developing product candidates that include three- to six-month formulations of exenatide, liraglutide, and basal insulin.

The company says it values its employees and talented staff.

Depot injections have been introduced in some markets as longer-acting formulations. The first atypical antipsychotic depot, a two-week intramuscular injection, entered the schizophrenia market in 2003 and improved medication adherence.

Delpor’s technologies differ from other implant delivery systems by aiming to achieve zero-order drug release through passive diffusion. The page cites Duros as an example of an active delivery implant system.

Tassos Nicolaou is Delpor’s president and chief executive officer, responsible for its strategic vision, operations, and corporate development. He has over 25 years of business experience with life sciences companies.

Delpor develops once-yearly therapies for chronic conditions using technologies that release drugs from a passive subcutaneous implant. The device is implanted in an in-office procedure using local anesthetic.

Peter J. Weiden directs the Psychotic Disorders Program at the Center for Cognitive Medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago. His research focuses on connections between psychopharmacology and public health in schizophrenia treatment.

Delpor’s strategy is to grow through partnerships to jointly develop products. Its partner categories include large pharma or biotech companies, mid-size or specialty pharma, generics and biosimilars manufacturers, and drug delivery companies.

Delpor seeks international partners with local market expertise interested in licensing its products or technologies for markets outside the United States.

Delpor is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing once-yearly therapies for chronic diseases. Its CNS programs address schizophrenia, opioid use disorder, spasticity, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and MS.