730018CODE-PMClosedLegacy RDA Grant for R&DInnovate UKThe CODE-PM project represents a new approach to drug development. The aim of CODE-PM is to generate high-value Intellectual Property (IP) in the emerging field of pharmaceutical cocrystals for subsequent out-licensing to the pharmaceutical industry. A cocrystal is a crystalline entity in which more than one molecular substance is incorporated into the repeating unit cell (see Annex 1: Scientific Appendix). A pharmaceutical cocrystal therefore is comprised of a drug compound and one or more other compounds, referred to as coformers. CODE-PM is an extension of the development activities of Nuformix Ltd - a virtual drug development company based at The Wilton Centre, formed in October 2008. CODE-PM will help address an immediate market opportunity arising from the convergence of advances in the sciences of crystal engineering, continuous processing and nanoparticulates, combined with a buoyant pharmaceutical in-licensing market. i) Why is there a need? Drug cocrystals often have very different physical properties from their pure form and these important changes offer great commercial and societal potential. Varying the coformer provides a new opportunity to optimise or improve a drug's performance in any number of aspects, including: • Bioavailability and product efficacy • Cost of manufacture • Ease of formulation and manufacture • Chemical stability • Product shelf life and ease of storage • Patient benefits such as a reduction in side effects and removal of food effects It is estimated that as many as 70% of the world's top 500 drugs perform sub-optimally in any number of the above key performance areas. Delivering such improvements to existing drug products will substantially benefit both patients and drug manufacturers alike. Ultimately the products developed in the CODE-PM project will deliver cheaper medicines and more effective treatment of disease whilst enabling the pharmaceutical industry to sustain important new product development activities.