The current suppository market in Western society is mainly focused on glycerin-based laxatives for over-the-counter use. Historically, there has been reluctance to use rectal treatments except for targeted conditions in the application area, leading to a rather “constipated” product development. However, as people become more informed and comfortable with this method, the market is increasingly developing innovative solutions that boast improved formulations, increased availability, positive experiences, and ongoing medical advancements, driving greater adoption. See one example of such where it applies to women’s health. With a growth rate of 5.9% through 2031, now is your time to start developing.
Aiming to Treat Pain and Discomfort Faster
Around 40% of North Americans deal with chronic pain, and 50-70% will experience hemorrhoids at some point, with cases rising among young adults. These are just two of many ailments causing pain, discomfort, and unease. While suppositories have been traditionally used for inflictions like constipation and hemorrhoids, more novel solutions shouldn’t take a back seat. As we continue to overcome user perceptions and acceptance, there are immense growth opportunities to address vomiting, nausea, sleep problems, anxiety, depression, swelling, and more, all in the name of improving overall well-being.
The Real Pain in the Butt…
Formulating, Production and Stability are all challenges you face, that we believe can be addressed with one line, Witepsol H Series. Let’s cover the basics; with most current launches in the market being glycerin, yet more consumers searching for animal-free products, that leaves you with two leading players in the suppository market, hard fats, and cocoa. Comparing these two there is a large discrepancy between the solidification, consistency, drug release, compatibility, and stability, in which Hard Fats outperform cocoa in each of those categories.
If you’re already working with gelatin, consider using the Witepsol H line of hard fats as an alternative. Hard fats are less reactive to moisture (if changing your base isn’t an option, you might also explore our line of desiccants to manage moisture issues) and offer more consistent drug release compared to glycerin, without requiring additional manipulation.
Benefits to the Consumer of Rectal Drug Delivery:
- Localized and systemic drug delivery
- Avoidance of First-Pass Metabolism
- Fast on-set of drug release
- Reduced Systemic side-effects
- Robust & simple formulation concepts, only small number of excipients required
Benefits to You When Using Hard Fats:
- Chemically inert and widely compatible with API’s
- Less sensitive to fluctuations in environmental conditions, providing a longer shelf life.
- Facilitate efficient large-scale production with easy molding and solidifying processes.
WITEPSOL® H hard fats mostly consist of triglycerides with a portion of, at most, 15% of diglycerides and not more than 1% of monoglycerides. They are characterized by a very small gap between the melting and solidification temperatures, have only a minor tendency to the post-hardening phenomenon (maximum 1.5 °C), and can be processed both with automatic casting machines and, on a small scale, using the cream melting process (precrystallization) at casting temperatures around the stated melting point. They include compounds having hydroxyl values (HV) between 0 and 5 which avoid interactions between the free OH groups and acidic active compounds (ASS, Diclofenac, etc.).
Determine which is right for you based on the proportion of active compounds in your formula, the desired melting point, or for melting point correction.
