High-concentration protein formulations and method of manufacture
Provided is a pharmaceutical composition involving a concentrated mixture of a precipitated protein and a liquid medium and a method for manufacturing the concentrated mixture. The concentrated mixture is manufacturable by precipitation of a protein with a biocompatible polymer precipitating agent, followed by removal of sufficient liquid to concentrate the resulting mixture to the desired degree. The precipitated protein can be stored for a significant time in the concentrated mixture, such as intermediate between processing stages during manufacture operations.
1. A pharmaceutical product, comprising a pharmaceutical composition contained within a sealed container, wherein:
the pharmaceutical composition comprises:
(i) polyoxyalkylene block copolymer;
(ii) at least 10 weight percent, relative to weight of the pharmaceutical composition, of a precipitated protein, the precipitated protein being in the form of a precipitate having been prepared by precipitation from an aqueous liquid solution with the polyoxyalkylene block copolymer; and
(iii) at least 10 weight percent, relative to the weight of the pharmaceutical composition, water.
2. A pharmaceutical product, comprising a pharmaceutical composition contained within a sealed container, wherein:
the pharmaceutical composition comprises:
(i) biocompatible polymer precipitating agent;
(ii) at least 10 weight percent of a precipitated protein, the precipitated protein being in the form of a precipitate having been prepared by precipitation from an aqueous liquid solution with the biocompatible polymer precipitating agent; and
(iii) at least 10 weight percent water;
wherein the pharmaceutical composition has a total volume of no larger than 1 mL.
3. A method for administering a protein, comprising injecting into a patient a pharmaceutical composition, the pharmaceutical composition comprising:
(i) polyoxyalkylene block copolymer;
(ii) at least 10 weight percent, relative to weight of the pharmaceutical composition, precipitated protein, the precipitated protein being in the form of a precipitate having been prepared by precipitation from an aqueous liquid solution with the polyoxyalkylene block copolymer; and
(iii) at least 10 weight percent, relative to the weight of the pharmaceutical composition, water.
4. The pharmaceutical product of claim 1 , wherein the pharmaceutical composition comprises at least 20 weight percent, relative to weight of the pharmaceutical composition, of the water; and
wherein the precipitated protein has been maintained since the precipitation in a formulation comprising no less than 20 weight percent water.
5. The pharmaceutical product of claim 1 , wherein the water is frozen.
6. The pharmaceutical product of claim 1 , wherein the pharmaceutical composition comprises from 10 to 50 weight percent, relative to the weight of the pharmaceutical composition, of the precipitated protein and from 50 to 90 weight percent, relative to the weight of the pharmaceutical composition, of the water.
7. The pharmaceutical product of claim 1 , wherein the pharmaceutical composition comprises at least 0.1 weight percent, relative to the weight of the pharmaceutical composition, of the polyoxyalkylene block copolymer.
8. The pharmaceutical product of claim 1 , wherein the concentration of the polyoxyalkylene block copolymer in the pharmaceutical composition is smaller than the concentration of the polyoxyalkylene block copolymer during the precipitation.
9. The pharmaceutical product of claim 1 , wherein the pharmaceutical composition comprises at least 10 weight percent, relative to the weight of the pharmaceutical composition, of the polyoxyalkylene block copolymer.
10. The pharmaceutical product of claim 1 , wherein the pharmaceutical composition comprises from 10 weight percent to 30 weight percent, relative to the weight of the pharmaceutical composition, of the polyoxyalkylene block copolymer.
11. The pharmaceutical product of claim 1 , wherein the precipitated protein comprises at least 95 weight percent of total protein in the pharmaceutical composition.
12. The pharmaceutical product of claim 1 , wherein the precipitated protein comprises at least 99 weight percent of total protein in the pharmaceutical composition.
13. The pharmaceutical product of claim 12 , wherein the pharmaceutical composition comprises at least 5 weight percent, relative to the weight of the pharmaceutical composition, of the polyoxyalkylene block copolymer.
14. The pharmaceutical product of claim 13 , wherein the polyoxyalkylene block copolymer is Poloxamer 407 and the protein is an antibody.
15. The pharmaceutical product of claim 1 , wherein the polyoxyalkylene block copolymer is a reverse-thermal gelation polymer.
16. The pharmaceutical product of claim 15 , wherein the pharmaceutical composition comprises at least some of the polyoxyalkylene block copolymer and the concentration of the polyoxyalkylene block copolymer in the pharmaceutical composition is not large enough for the pharmaceutical composition to exhibit reverse-thermal gelation.
17. The pharmaceutical product of claim 1 , wherein the polyoxyalkylene block copolymer is Poloxamer 407 and the protein is an antibody.
18. The pharmaceutical product of claim 1 , wherein the protein is a macromolecular protein.
19. The pharmaceutical product of claim 1 , wherein the protein is an antibody.
20. The pharmaceutical product of claim 1 , wherein the pharmaceutical composition comprises a protein-stabilizer.
21. The pharmaceutical product of claim 1 , wherein the pharmaceutical composition comprises a surfactant.
22. A pharmaceutical product, comprising a pharmaceutical composition in an injectable form contained in an injection device, wherein:
the pharmaceutical composition comprises:
(i) polyoxyalkylene block copolymer;
(ii) at least 10 weight percent, relative to weight of the pharmaceutical composition, precipitated protein, the precipitated protein being in the form of a precipitate having been prepared by precipitation from an aqueous liquid solution with the polyoxyalkylene block copolymer; and
(iii) at least 10 weight percent, relative to the weight of the pharmaceutical composition, water.
23. The pharmaceutical product of claim 22 , wherein the injection device comprises a syringe.
24. The pharmaceutical product of claim 23 , wherein the syringe has a hypodermic needle with no larger than an 18 gauge opening.
25. The pharmaceutical product of claim 1 , wherein the sealed container comprises an injection device in which the pharmaceutical composition is disposed.
26. The pharmaceutical product of claim 1 , wherein no more than 5 weight percent of total protein in the pharmaceutical composition is in solution.
27. The pharmaceutical product of claim 26 , wherein:
the pharmaceutical composition comprises from 10 weight percent to 35 weight percent, relative to the weight of the pharmaceutical composition, of the precipitated protein, at least 10 weight percent, relative to the weight of the pharmaceutical composition, of the polyoxyalkylene block copolymer and at least 20 weight percent of the water, relative to the weight of the pharmaceutical composition.
28. The pharmaceutical product of claim 27 , wherein the pharmaceutical composition comprises a concentration of surfactant of from 0.001 weight percent to 1 weight percent relative to weight of the precipitated protein, the surfactant being different than the polyoxyalkylene block copolymer.
29. The pharmaceutical product of claim 28 , wherein the pharmaceutical composition comprises a concentration of protein stabilizer in a range of from 10 weight percent to 1000 weight percent relative to the weight of the precipitated protein, the protein-stabilizer being different than the polyoxyalkylene block copolymer.
30. The pharmaceutical product of claim 27 , wherein the polyoxyalkylene block copolymer is of a formula
HO(C 2 H 4 O) b (C 3 H 6 O) a (C 2 H 4 O) b H
where a is an integer in a range of from 15 to 80, and each b is an integer in a range of from 50 to 150.
31. The pharmaceutical product of claim 22 , wherein the pharmaceutical composition comprises at least 30 weight percent, relative to the weight of the pharmaceutical composition, of the water.
32. The pharmaceutical product of claim 31 , wherein the pharmaceutical composition comprises at least 5 weight percent, relative to the weight of the pharmaceutical composition, of the polyoxyalkylene block copolymer.
33. The pharmaceutical product of claim 32 , wherein no more than 5 weight percent of total protein in the pharmaceutical composition is in solution.
34. The pharmaceutical product of claim 22 , wherein the polyoxyalkylene block copolymer is Poloxamer 407 and the protein is an antibody.
35. The pharmaceutical product of claim 33 , wherein the pharmaceutical composition comprises from 10 weight percent to 35 weight percent, relative to the weight of the pharmaceutical composition, of the precipitated protein.
36. The pharmaceutical product of claim 35 , wherein the pharmaceutical composition comprises at least 20 weight percent, relative to the weight of the pharmaceutical composition, of the precipitated protein.
37. The pharmaceutical product of claim 36 , wherein the pharmaceutical composition comprises a surfactant, the surfactant being different than the polyoxyalkylene block copolymer.
38. The pharmaceutical product of claim 36 , wherein the pharmaceutical composition comprises a protein-stabilizer, the protein-stabilizer being different than the polyoxyalkylene block copolymer.
39. The pharmaceutical product of claim 36 , wherein the polyoxyalkylene block copolymer is a reverse-thermal gelation polymer and is present at a concentration at which the pharmaceutical composition does not exhibit reverse-thermal gelation.
40. The pharmaceutical product of claim 36 , wherein the precipitated protein is an antibody.
41. The method of claim 3 , wherein the pharmaceutical composition comprises at least 30 weight percent, relative to the weight of the pharmaceutical composition, of the water.
42. The method of claim 41 , wherein the pharmaceutical composition comprises at least 5 weight percent, relative to the weight of the pharmaceutical composition, of the polyoxyalkylene block copolymer.
43. The method of claim 42 , wherein no more than 5 weight percent of total protein in the pharmaceutical composition is in solution.
44. The method of claim 43 , wherein the polyoxyalkylene block copolymer is Poloxamer 407 and the protein is an antibody.
45. The method of claim 43 , wherein the pharmaceutical composition comprises from 10 weight percent to 35 weight percent, relative to the weight of the pharmaceutical composition, of the precipitated protein.
46. The method of claim 45 , wherein the pharmaceutical composition comprises at least 20 weight percent, relative to the weight of the pharmaceutical composition, of the precipitated protein.
47. The method of claim 46 , wherein the pharmaceutical composition comprises a surfactant, the surfactant being different than the polyoxyalkylene block copolymer.
48. The method of claim 46 , wherein the pharmaceutical composition comprises a protein-stabilizer, the protein-stabilizer being different than the polyoxyalkylene block copolymer.
49. The method of claim 46 , wherein the polyoxyalkylene block copolymer is a reverse-thermal gelation polymer and is present at a concentration at which the pharmaceutical composition does not exhibit reverse-thermal gelation.
50. The method of claim 46 , wherein the precipitated protein is an antibody.
51. The pharmaceutical product of claim 26 , wherein the protein is an antibody.
52. The pharmaceutical product of claim 51 , wherein the polyoxyalkylene block copolymer is Poloxamer 407.
53. The pharmaceutical product of claim 51 , wherein the polyoxyalkylene block copolymer is a polyoxyethylene-polyoxypropylene block copolymer.
54. The pharmaceutical product of claim 30 , wherein the protein is an antibody.
55. The pharmaceutical product of claim 40 , wherein the polyoxyalkylene block copolymer is Poloxamer 407.
56. The method of claim 50 , wherein the polyoxyalkylene block copolymer is Poloxamer 407.