Ferring Pharmaceuticals and Brazil-based Instituto de Ciências Farmacêuticas (ICF) have announced a research collaboration aimed at developing a mucoadhesive rectal delivery system to treat anal fissures and to improve quality of care for patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Anal fissures are a common complication of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). They can represent a challenging problem for patients with IBD but have been overlooked, with current treatments not sufficient to give long-lasting pain relief and promote healing. 

“Ferring is committed to enhancing the quality of life and quality of care of IBD patients through innovative scientific research,” said Alan Harris, senior vice president R&D Executive Office, Ferring Pharmaceuticals. “This collaboration is focused on meeting a number of unmet needs - from alleviating the pain of anal fissures, to promoting faster healing, increasing patient adherence and developing more convenient dosing.”

“Our collaboration also aims to address current unmet needs of physicians,” said Leonardo Teixeira, CEO, ICF. “We want to develop a ready-to-use and patient-compliant delivery system with mucoadhesive properties, to provide doctors with an alternative to current topical treatments and surgical options.”