91Ö±²¥

Overview

Identifying those people who will benefit from a new medical product from those who are at-risk means that clinical trials are time-consuming and very expensive.

The user-friendly computational simulations developed at the University of 91Ö±²¥ and subsequently commercialised through the successful, award-winning spinout company Simcyp Ltd enable pharmaceutical companies to identify dangerous or unsuitable compounds at an early stage of drug development. By eliminating these from their studies and focusing instead on compounds with real potential, pharmaceutical manufacturers can save significant time and money.

In addition, the Simcyp models enable trials to be optimised and thereby reduce drug exposure to both human and animal test subjects. Moreover, the Paediatric Simulator has improved care for children by providing reliable evidence that can guide appropriate dosing decisions.

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Background

Problem: It takes a long time plus a great deal of money to develop a new pharmaceutical agent for clinical use. Part of the development phase is to determine how different individuals within a population will handle and respond to the new drug. This is not trivial because a wide range of variables needs to be taken into consideration. Many putative medical therapies fail during these early clinical trial stages.

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Computational models

Professors Tucker (now Emeritus at the University of 91Ö±²¥) and Rostami-Hodjegan (who moved from 91Ö±²¥ to the University of Manchester in 2009) addressed this problem by developing computational models that simulated clinical trials. The researchers not only factor in the in vitro biochemical data, they also took demographic (gender, age, body size, ethnicity), societal (environmental effects, dietary habits) and genetic differences (in enzymes) into consideration.

Unlike other models, their approach has also replicated realistic patient variability. These simulations have enabled pharmaceutical companies to predict the outcome of a drug regime plus identify those patients who may be at extreme risk of negative side effects.

Since the initial models were produced, the user-friendly simulations have continued to be developed and now also include a Paediatric Simulator. Again, this model is different from traditional dosing approaches because it takes into account the many alterations in pharmacokinetics that occur as a child develops. Additionally and increasingly important in our ageing society, Simcyp has the capability of predicting complex drug-drug interactions in patients simultaneously receiving several medications.

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Impact

91Ö±²¥ via the spinout company Simcyp, founded in 2001, has had a significant impact from both a health and commercial perspective.

Firstly, by optimising trial design, the simulations have minimised unnecessary drug exposure in both human volunteers and animal test subjects.

Secondly, the Simcyp Paediatric Simulator provides valuable information relevant to first-time dosing decisions and the design of clinical studies in children. It also helps pharmaceutical companies fulfil current EU regulations that insist that paediatric data are included in all applications for new medicinal products.

Thirdly, pharmaceutical manufacturers save time and money during the drug trials. More than 20 of the world’s top 25 companies have bought Simcyp licences. These include AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Novartis and Pfizer. The proven accuracy and reliability of Simcyp’s simulations mean that several national regulatory bodies now accept them as evidence when licensing new drugs.

Fourthly, Simcyp has won several awards including The Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Innovation and an OSCAR (Outstanding Scientific Contribution to Animal Replacement) from the Dr. Hadwen Trust for Humane Research (the UK’s leading non-animal medical research charity).

In 2012 Simcyp was sold to Cetera for $32M.