Pharmaceutical treatment process using chitosan or derivative thereof

1. A process for enhancing absorption of a drug compound by a mammalian patient to which the drug compound is orally administered, wherein the process comprises orally administering to the patient a solid composition comprising a solid mixture comprising the drug compound that is a polar molecule having a molecular weight of 1 KDa or less, a peptide, a protein or a polysaccharide, and chitosan or a derivative thereof or a salt of chitosan or a salt of a derivative of chitosan, and an organic acid, wherein at least a part of the acid is in the form of an agglomerate, and wherein the acid and the chitosan or a derivative thereof or a salt of chitosan or a salt of a derivative of chitosan are present in a weight ratio of from 10:1 to 1:1, whereby absorption of the drug compound is enhanced within the gastrointestinal tract of the mammalian patient.

2. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the acid is lactic, glutamic, succinic, tartaric, citric, fumaric or propionic acid.

3. A process according to claim 2 , wherein the acid is succinic acid.

4. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the acid agglomerate is in the form of a granule, a pellet, a tablet or an acid particle engineered to a specific size.

5. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the acid agglomerate is coated with a material which modifies its dissolution properties.

6. A process according to claim 1 , wherein chitosan is present in the form of chitosan base.

7. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the drug compound is a bisphosphonate, a nucleoside analogue antiviral drug, or an oligonucleotide.

8. A process according to claim 7 , wherein the bisphosphonate is clodronate, alendronate, etidronate, pamidronate or residronate.

9. A process according to claim 7 , wherein the nucleoside analogue antiviral drug is aciclovir.

10. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the peptide is octreotide, insulin, glucagon, a calcitonin, parathyroid hormone or a derivative thereof, ADH (vasopressin) or an analogue thereof or a GnRH agonist.

11. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the protein is a growth hormone, an interferon, erythropoetin, an interleukin, GM-CSF or G-CSF.

12. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the polysaccharide is heparin or a low molecular weight heparin.

13. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the acid and the chitosan or a derivative thereof or a salt of chitosan or a salt of a derivative of chitosan are present in a weight ratio of from 6:1 to 1:1.

14. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the composition is coated with a material that prevents the drug compound and chitosan or a derivative thereof or a salt of chitosan or a salt of a derivative of chitosan from being released, after administration, until the composition reaches the target site of drug absorption.

15. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the composition is in the form of a compressed tablet, a moulded tablet, a hard shell capsule or a soft shell capsule.

16. A process according to claim 1 , wherein at least 80% of the acid is present in the form of an agglomerate.

17. A process according to claim 16 , wherein at least 85% of the acid is present in the form of an agglomerate.

18. A process according to claim 17 , wherein at least 90% of the acid is present in the form of an agglomerate.

19. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the average particle size of the acid agglomerate, as measured by sieve analysis, is from 0.1 mm to 5 mm.

20. A process according to claim 19 , wherein the average particle size of the acid agglomerate, as measured by sieve analysis, is from 0.15 mm to 3 mm.

21. A process according to claim 20 , wherein the average particle size of the acid agglomerate, as measured by sieve analysis, is from 0.2 mm to 2 mm.