Aptar Pharma Unveils Injectable Development Framework and GLP-1 Delivery Patents

Aptar Pharma has announced two drug delivery initiatives: the publication of three new international patent applications focused on enabling inhaled and nasal delivery of GLP-1-based therapies, and the launch of a collaborative system-level framework for injectable drug delivery systems.

The newly published patent applications describe formulation approaches for GLP-1 drug substances, including spray-dried and powder processing technologies designed to support nasal and pulmonary administration. Preclinical pharmacokinetic (PK) studies were performed on both liquid and powder formulations of semaglutide, showing up to 10x improvement in the systemic Cmax (peak blood concentration) when compared with a comparable oral dose in a preclinical model. Together, the published patent applications and supporting preclinical data provide preclinical proof-of-concept for Aptar Pharma's formulation and device-enabled approaches in challenging peptide delivery scenarios. These approaches remain investigational and have not been approved for clinical or commercial use. The development work was performed across Aptar Pharma Services teams in the UK, U.S. and France, leveraging expertise in formulation science, analytical characterization and device compatibility for orally inhaled and nasal drug products (OINDPs).

Aptar Pharma also launched a collaborative system-level framework for injectable drug delivery systems, announced July 17, 2026, from Crystal Lake, Illinois. Building on more than a decade of supporting pharmaceutical customers in respiratory and ophthalmic drug development, Aptar Pharma will work with partners to develop data packages that combine integrated system-level testing and performance data for injectable therapies. Designed to provide earlier insight into assembled-system performance, these data packages help customers make more informed development decisions, better manage risk across development programs and support the delivery of safe and effective therapies to patients.

Aptar Pharma's Injectables division is built on more than 60 years of experience in elastomeric components for injectable drug delivery systems. The current focus is on partner pre-filled syringe (PFS) platforms incorporating Aptar Pharma rigid needle shields (RNS) and PremiumCoat® elastomeric plungers for sensitive drug formulations, including highly viscous biologics. Through its partner network, Aptar Pharma is developing data packages covering functional performance, container closure integrity testing (CCIT), sealing performance and component interactions to help customers support earlier container closure decisions with relevant system-level data, inform internal testing strategies in line with evolving USP <382> expectations, and build confidence in assembled-system performance before late-stage scale-up.

“As injectable therapies become more complex with the rise of biologics and combination products, USP <382> places greater emphasis on system-level understanding,” said the VP Global Market Development, Aptar Pharma Injectables. “Our approach is designed to help customers make more informed development decisions while preserving the flexibility required for different molecules and formats.” Aptar Pharma plans to progressively introduce other partner collaborations and supporting data packages as part of this approach, with each initiative designed to address specific system configurations and development needs across biologics and vaccine applications.