Pharmaceutical composition of tacrolimus

1. An oral tacrolimus composition comprising seamless minicapsules having a core composition that comprises a hydrophobic liquid comprising tacrolimus in a solubilised liquid form, the minicapsules having a release profile to release the solubilised tacrolimus throughout the entire gastrointestinal tract, the minicapsules comprising a gelled state of a suspension that is a mixture of a solution comprising a gelling agent and of the hydrophobic liquid comprising tacrolimus, the gelling agent encapsulating the hydrophobic liquid comprising tacrolimus.

2. The composition of claim 1 wherein the hydrophobic liquid comprises tacrolimus, a solubilisation agent, a co-emulsifier, a surfactant, a permeability enhancer and a carrier.

3. The composition of claim 2 , wherein the solubilisation agent comprises ethanol or a triglyceride; the co-emulsifying agent comprises fatty acid ester complexes; the surfactant comprises fatty acid ester complexes; and the carrier comprises a hydrophobic liquid.

4. The composition of claim 1 wherein the minicapsules are administered in a hard gelatine capsule, a sprinkle, or a tablet.

5. The composition of claim 1 wherein the minicapsules have a release profile to release pre-solubilised tacrolimus in one or more of the small intestine, the ileum or the colon.

6. The composition of claim 1 wherein the minicapsules are seamless minicapsules obtainable by formulating tacrolimus as a solubilised formulation and encapsulating the solubilised formulation with a gelling agent, wherein the solubilised formulation comprises tacrolimus in combination with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier that comprises a hydrophobic liquid and wherein the solubilised formulation is encapsulated by ejecting it through a nozzle having a single orifice in a mixed suspension which further comprises a solution comprising the gelling agent as well as the solubilised tacrolimus formulation, the ejected suspension forming into a spherical form and falling into a cooling air flow or a cooling or hardening solution where the gelling agent becomes gelled.

7. The composition of claim 6 wherein the gelling agent is gelatin.

8. The composition of claim 1 wherein the gelling agent is gelatin.

9. Minicapsules, wherein the minicapsules have a core composition that comprises tacrolimus and the minicapsules are seamless minicapsules obtainable by formulating tacrolimus as a solubilised formulation and encapsulating the solubilised formulation with a gelling agent, wherein the solubilised formulation comprises tacrolimus in combination with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier that comprises a hydrophobic liquid and wherein the solubilised formulation is encapsulated by ejecting it through a nozzle having a single orifice in a mixed suspension which further comprises a solution comprising the gelling agent as well as the solubilised tacrolimus formulation, the ejected suspension forming into a spherical form and falling into a cooling air flow or a cooling or hardening solution where the gelling agent becomes gelled.

10. Tacrolimus for use in treating or reducing the risk of solid organ transplant rejection, graft-versus-host disease, gastro-intestinal graft-versus-host disease, inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis, or Crohn's disease, wherein he tacrolimus is comprised in an oral formulation which permits targeted release of the tacrolimus to specific regions of the gastrointestinal tract, the oral formulation comprising minicapsules of claim 9 .

11. The minicapsules of claim 9 , the minicapsules being in a composition comprising a first population of said minicapsules and a second population of said minicapsules.

12. An oral tacrolimus composition comprising minicapsules as claimed in claim 9 wherein the minicapsules have a release profile to release solubilised tacrolimus in one or more of the small intestine, the ileum or the colon.

13. A composition as claimed in claim 12 wherein the tacrolimus is present in the core in an amount of from 2.5 to 15% w/w.

14. The composition as claimed in claim 12 wherein the minicapsules are modified to provide the release profile, wherein a modified release is attributable to a polymer coating.

15. The composition as claimed in claim 14 wherein the coating includes a dissolution enhancing agent, wherein the dissolution enhancing agent is degraded by bacteria normally present in the gastrointestinal tract.

16. The composition of claim 12 wherein the composition comprises a first population of minicapsules comprising tacrolimus and a second population of minicapsules comprising tacrolimus.

17. The composition of claim 16 wherein the first population comprises uncoated minicapsules and wherein the second population comprises coated minicapsules.

18. The composition of claim 16 , which comprises from 10 to 40% w/w uncoated minicapsules and from 60 to 90% w/w coated minicapsules.

19. The composition of claim 12 which further comprises excipients to enhance permeability of the ileum and/or colon to tacrolimus.

20. The composition of claim 12 , which further comprises excipients to enhance the therapeutic potential of tacrolimus in the ileum and colon, wherein the excipients are selected from one or more of absorption limiters, absorption enhancers, surfactants, co-surfactants, co-solvents, essential oils, natural plant extracts, ion-exchange resins, bacteria degradable conjugation linkers, polysaccharides, guar gum, pectin, chitosan, inulin and cyclodextrins.

21. The composition of claim 20 which further comprises excipients to enhance systemic bioavailability of tacrolimus following absorption throughout the gastrointestinal tract, wherein the excipients comprise efflux pump inhibitors.

22. A method for the treatment or reduction of the risk of solid organ transplant rejection; graft- versus-host disease, gastro-intestinal graft-versus-host disease, inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, intestinal inflammations/allergies, neurodegenerative diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosis, hyperimmunoglobulin E, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, multiple sclerosis, progressive systemic sclerosis, myasthenia gravis, type 1 diabetes, uveitis, allergic encephalomyelitis, glomerulonephritis, and infectious diseases caused by pathogenic microorganisms, the method comprising administering to a subject a therapeutically effective amount of tacrolimus comprised in the composition of claim 12 .

23. A composition of claim 12 that is combined with at least one other active pharmaceutical ingredient in a single oral dosage form, or is combined with SiRNA constructs, mycophenolate mofetil, or a natural plant or marine extract, wherein the other active pharmaceutical ingredient is selected from abetimus, deforolimus, everolimus, gusperimus, pimecrolimus, sirolimus, cyclosporins, temsirolimus, cortisone, hydrocortisone, fludrocortisone, prednisone, prenisolone, methylpredilisolone, triamcinolone, betamethasone, dexamethasone, paramethasone. anakinra, azathioprine, leflunomide, methotrexate, mycophenolic acid, thalidomide, antibodies, sirolimus, interferons, opioids, infliximab, etanercept, adalimumab, cucumin, catechins, mycophenolate mofetil acid, and any of the aforesaid when conjugated to an NO donor.

24. An oral tacrolimus composition comprising minicapsules having a core composition that comprises a hydrophobic liquid comprising tacrolimus in a solubilised liquid form, the minicapsules being seamless minicapsules and having a release profile to release the solubilised in the small intestine, the ileum and/or the colon, the minicapsules comprising a gelled state of a suspension that is a mixture of a solution comprising a gelling agent and of the hydrophobic liquid comprising tacrolimus, the gelling agent encapsulating the hydrophobic liquid comprising tacrolimus.

25. The composition of claim 24 wherein the minicapsules have a release profile to release solubilised tacrolimus in the small intestine, the ileum and the colon.

26. The composition of claim 24 wherein the gelling agent is selected from gelatin, pectin and chitosan, and combinations thereof.

27. The composition of claim 24 wherein the minicapsules are seamless minicapsules obtainable by formulating tacrolimus as a solubilised formulation and encapsulating the solubilised formulation with a gelling agent, wherein the solubilised formulation comprises tacrolimus in combination with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier that comprises a hydrophobic liquid and wherein the solubilised formulation is encapsulated by ejecting it through a nozzle having a single orifice in a mixed suspension which further comprises a solution comprising the gelling agent as well as the solubilised tacrolimus formulation, the ejected suspension forming into a spherical form and falling into a cooling air flow or a cooling or hardening solution where the gelling agent becomes gelled.

28. The composition of claim 27 wherein the gelling agent is gelatin.