Liquid formulations of compounds active at sulfonylurea receptors

Abstract

The invention provides liquid formulations of compounds that act at sulfonylurea receptors that are suitable for intra-venous and intra-arterial infusion. Compounds active at a sulfonylurea receptor include glibenclamide, tolbutamide, repaglinide, nateglinide, meglitinide, midaglizole, LY397364, LY389382, glyclazide, and glimepiride. Liquid formulations may be concentrated solutions suitable for storage; may be diluted (e.g., dilution of 1:1 or 1:1.2) suitable for bolus injections, and may be further diluted (e.g., dilution of 1:10 or 1:20 or more) for intravenous and intra-arterial infusion over an extended period of time. For example, a liquid formulation may include at least about 0.05 mg / ml glibenclamide in a water-based solution including 40% polyethylene glycol 300, 10% Ethanol, 50% water, at about pH 9. The solution may include a buffer, and is suitable for storage in refrigerator or at room temperature. This solution may be diluted 1:1, or more (e.g., 1:20) without precipitation of the glibenclamide.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention provides liquid formulations of compounds active at sulfonylurea receptors and suitable for administration to a patient in need of treatment with such compounds, methods for using the novel formulations, and kits providing the formulations for clinical use.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Macromolecules termed “sulfonylurea receptors” (SUR) are found in many body tissues and are important in many physiological activities. Among many important functions, SUR are involved in insulin release from pancreatic beta cells, and may affect blood pressure by affecting vascular smooth muscle. There are multiple SUR, including a type 1 sulfonylurea receptor (SUR1), a type 2 sulfonylurea receptor (SUR2) and subtypes of these receptors. Molecularly distinct SURs are coupled to distinct ion channel moieties in various tissues to form, for example, different KATP channels with distinguishable physiological and pharmacological characteristics. KATP c...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0012]The liquid formulations disclosed herein are useful for administration of SUR-active compounds to patients in need of such compounds. For example, administration of the liquid formulations containing SUR-active compounds may be useful in alleviating, reducing, or preventing brain swelling, neural cell swelling, or other damage to a patient's nervous system that may result from, or occur incidental to, stroke, head trauma, spinal cord injury, cardiac arrest leading to an interruption of blood flow to the brain, or other condition.

[0015]Accordingly, it will be understood that disclosed herein are also methods for administering a SUR-active compound to a patient in need of treatment with a SUR-active compound. For example, provided herein are methods of treating a patient suffering from stroke, head trauma, spinal cord injury, cardiac arrest leading to an interruption of blood flow to the brain, or other condition in which the sufferer is at risk of brain swelling or neural cell swelling comprising administration of an effective dose of a SUR-active compound provided via a liquid formulation of a SUR-active compound having features of the invention. Methods of treating a patient in need of administration of a SUR-active compound include intravenous, intra-arterial, intrathecal, parenteral, intraperitoneal, intracerebroventricular, subcutaneous, oral, buccal, sublingual, intracavernous, and topical, or other routes of administration. Administration of SUR-active compounds via liquid formulation, and in particular via intra-arterial or intravenous administration, provides rapid and readily controlled increase in circulating drug concentrations, providing rapid onset of treatment which allows rapid adjustment and ready maintenance of circulating drug concentrations.

[0016]The liquid formulations and methods of using the liquid formulations provide alternative forms of administration of SUR-active compounds, aid in such administration by improved ease of administration, and allow ready administration to patients in need thereof who may not be able to swallow solid dosage forms or who may be in need of rapid pharmacological availability of the drug without the lag-time often encountered with administration of drugs by solid, oral dosage forms.

Problems solved by technology

Such drugs are typically poorly water soluble, and are commonly given as pills or in other solid form.

However, some patients are not able to swallow pills, or otherwise would be better served if these drugs were readily available for delivery in another form besides solid pills or powders.

Oral administration of solid dosage forms typically results in a time-lag before clinically effective dose levels are reached in the patient's tissues and internal fluids, and makes maintenance of constant levels of drug in those tissues and fluids difficult.

Furthermore, pH fluctuations in the stomach or gut can alter the absorption rates of drugs.

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