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Microspheres

Controlled-release microspheres for drug delivery

Reduce dosing frequency with release tuned from one week to 12 months

Encapsulate your API in biodegradable lipid microspheres that release it at a controlled rate, so each dose lasts longer and treatment is easier to give. License the technology and develop your product with one team, from feasibility to commercial supply.

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Veterinarian preparing a syringe for a hen held by a farmer, showing injectable controlled-release microspheres for animal health

1 week to 12 months of tunable sustained release

34% drug loading achieved for a controlled-release injectable

<1,000 µm diameter for standard needle and syringe injection

How It Works

Release your API at a controlled rate with our licensable microspheres

Each microsphere is a solid lipid particle with your API, in amorphous or crystalline form, dispersed through a biodegradable wax matrix. The particles are large enough to flow freely and handle easily during manufacture, and small enough to be injected through a conventional needle and syringe.

Once administered, the lipid matrix resorbs and releases your API at a controlled rate, keeping plasma concentrations steady for far longer than an immediate-release dose.

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Get more from every dose

Extend release to fit your treatment plan

Tune release from 1 week to 12 months by adjusting microsphere size and lipid matrix composition, or by adding pore formers or surfactants, so you give fewer doses and cause the animal less stress.

Improve bioavailability

Raise the bioavailability of poorly water-soluble drugs by dissolving them in lipids and converting the API from a crystalline to a stable amorphous form.

Achieve efficiency with smaller doses

Subcutaneous injection bypasses first-pass metabolism, so you can achieve efficacy with smaller doses and make the most of your API.

Mask bitter flavours and strong odours

Encapsulating your API in a solid lipid matrix reduces its release in the mouth and its contact with taste buds, making oral medicines more palatable and easier to administer.

Inject with a standard needle and syringe

At under 1,000 µm, microspheres pass through a standard needle and syringe, so you avoid the large-gauge needles or surgical insertion that polymeric implants typically need.

Reduce the risk of injection site reactions

Biocompatible materials make microspheres less susceptible to injection-site reactions and immune responses, thereby supporting a safer product profile.

Check whether microspheres suit your molecule

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APIs

Microspheres work with almost any API, from small lipophilic molecules to peptides. However, lipid microspheres aren’t suitable for thermolabile APIs.

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Drug classes

Use microspheres across therapeutic classes, including antiparasitics, analgesics, and anti-inflammatories for skin diseases such as atopic dermatitis.

Icon of a blister pack, vial and syringe representing injectable and oral dosage forms

Dosage forms

Subcutaneous injections and oral dosage forms.

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Species

Companion and production animals, including dogs, cats, horses, cattle, swine, sheep, and goats.

Stainless steel processing tanks in a GMP facility for manufacturing microspheres for animal health

Manufacturing

Scale from clinical to commercial batches with confidence

Take your microsphere product from development to commercial manufacture with one of the few organisations globally equipped to do it for animal health.

  • Keep your formulation simple: Microspheres typically need only one or two excipients, which are more cost-effective than commonly used biocompatible polymers.
  • Manufacture without organic solvents: The process uses no organic solvents.
  • Get consistent batches at every scale: The technology is designed to scale without product inconsistency, from clinical batches through to commercial supply.
  • Meet your critical quality attributes: Process development and validation, supported by our analytical team, help you reliably achieve them.
  • Transfer smoothly into manufacturing: A dedicated team manages your technology transfer, and established networks of qualified raw material suppliers streamline production.
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Develop your microsphere product with one team

Early phase development

Confirm feasibility, drug loading, and API and excipient compatibility before you make a significant investment.

Formulation development

Optimise microsphere composition for extended release, taste masking, or enhanced bioavailability.

Clinical studies

Run pharmacokinetic, safety, and efficacy studies at our own clinical sites in the US and UK, with healthy and diseased animal models.

Regulatory affairs

Build your regulatory strategy with a team that specialises in animal health and understands the regulations for microsphere-based products.

Process development

Scale and validate your microsphere process from GMP clinical batches to commercial manufacture.

Contract manufacturing

Manufacture at commercial scale in our ready-built microsphere infrastructure.

Featured resources

Argenta microspheres for animal health products fact sheet

Argenta microspheres for animal health products

Download the fact sheet
Accelerating the path to market for microspheres eBook

Accelerating the path to market for microspheres

Download the eBook
Controlled-release microspheres for animal health products video frame

Controlled-release microspheres for animal health products

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FAQs

What are controlled-release microspheres?

Controlled-release microspheres are small spherical lipid particles under 1000 µm in diameter that encapsulate an API within a biodegradable wax matrix, releasing it gradually over days, weeks, or months after administration.

Which animal species can be treated?

Companion and production animals, including dogs, cats, horses, cattle, swine, sheep, and goats.

Which drug classes and dosage forms can microspheres be used for?

Microspheres can be used across therapeutic classes, including antiparasitics, analgesics, and anti-inflammatories for skin diseases such as atopic dermatitis, in subcutaneous injections and oral dosage forms.

Which APIs are suitable for microsphere encapsulation?

Our controlled-release microspheres are compatible with almost any API, from small lipophilic molecules to peptides. Our team uses targeted screening to identify API/carrier compatibility early and rule out poor-fit excipients quickly.

How long does the API release last?

You can tune release from one week to 12 months, depending on microsphere size, lipid matrix composition, and the use of pore formers or surfactants.

Can microspheres improve bioavailability?

Yes, for certain poorly water-soluble drugs. Dissolving the API in lipids and converting it from a crystalline to a stable amorphous form can raise bioavailability, and subcutaneous injection bypasses first-pass metabolism.

How do Argenta microspheres differ from polymer-based alternatives?

Unlike other polymer-based microspheres for drug delivery, Argenta’s technology uses no organic solvents, requires only 1–2 excipients, operates at lower manufacturing temperatures (as low as 80 °C), and has no scale-up or batch consistency issues.

Is Argenta’s microsphere technology commercially proven?

Yes. Our microsphere technology has a track record of commercial success in animal health, with manufacturing capabilities in FDA-approved facilities and a dedicated team managing technology transfer and scale-up.

Healthy animals. Let’s make it happen, together.

Talk to our team about developing a controlled-release microsphere product for your animal health programme.
Talk to our formulation scientists