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Research & Development

Research

We are a specialty pharmaceutical company engaged in research, development and manufacture of product candidates intended to provide abuse deterrent features and benefits utilizing our proprietary Aversion® and Impede™ Technologies.  Our Aversion Technology opioid analgesic product candidates are intended to effectively relieve pain while simultaneously discouraging common methods of opioid product misuse and abuse including:

  • intravenous injection of dissolved tablets or capsules
  • nasal snorting of crushed tablets or capsules
  • intentional swallowing of excess quantities of tablets or capsules (when product candidates are formulated with niacin).

In addition to our opioid product candidates utilizing Aversion Technology, we are investigating and developing novel mechanisms to incorporate abuse deterrent features into additional abused and misused pharmaceutical products. In this regard we have developed Nexafed™, a pseudoephedrine hydrochloride (“PSE”) tablet product utilizing our Impede Technology.  Impede Technology utilizes a proprietary mixture of functional inactive ingredients intended to limit or impede extraction of PSE from the tablet for use as a starting material in producing the illicit drug methamphetamine. We are also developing an undisclosed benzodiazepine product candidate utilizing Aversion Technology intended for the treatment of anxiety disorders.

Development

Acura’s innovative Aversion Technology platform has been successfully utilized in developing multiple opioid analgesic product candidates. Additional product candidates in development are supported by laboratory and bioequivalence studies.


We believe that the application of Aversion Technology to non-opioid abused products may have a similar regulatory process and could result in a significant market opportunity for us.

Manufacturing

Acura manufactures clinical trial supplies of drug products at our Culver facility in volumes sufficient to meet U.S. Food and Drug Administration standards for New Drug Applications.