NSU Horizons Fall 2017

28 NSU HORIZONS Epinephrine tablets are smaller and easier to handle than epinephrine injections. They require no prior training for self-administration, and they have a longer shelf life than epinephrine injections. “Participating in this project is being part of an inven- tion that has the potential to impact patient care as a safe and reliable alternative to epinephrine injections,” said Naima Jahan, a fourth-year doctoral student at the College of Pharmacy who works as a research assistant with Rawas-Qalaji. “My role was to assist in processing epinephrine into nanocrystals using multiple procedures developed by Dr. Rawas-Qalaji,” Jahan said. “I was involved in numer- ous tasks associated with epinephrine tablet production. During this working experience, I mastered the complex and fascinating process of epinephrine sublingual tablet production. This hands-on research is a lifetime experience that gave me valuable technical skills, immense knowledge, and networking opportunities.” Rawas-Qalaji said the team is working with the company that licensed the epinephrine tablet to advance product development, start clinical trials, and obtain approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) within a few years. Currently, Rawas-Qalaji is working on developing a pediatric epinephrine tablet and seeking funding for his other research projects in emergency and palliative care. “We are applying our best efforts to take epinephrine tablets from ‘benchside to bedside,’” he said. TAMPER-RESISTANT TABLETS Combating a deadly epidemic of opioids, Hossein (Hamid) Omidian, Ph.D., and his research team are developing tamper-resistant tablets and abuse-deterrent technologies to prevent abuse of pain medications by snorting, injecting, and oral ingestion. Nationwide, prescription drug abuse now claims two lives every hour from overdoses, with 6.8 million people in the United States abusing prescription medications for recreational purposes. To combat the epidemic of prescription pain medica- tion abuse, the FDA began requiring manufacturers of high-potency opioids to evaluate the abuse risk. Also, pharmaceutical companies were encouraged to develop abuse-deterrent medications. Abusers want to intensify the euphoric effects of opioids such as oxycodone by administering them in ways that provide faster absorption into their bloodstream. With The tablet that Mutasem Rawas-Qalaji and his team are working on may drastically improve the lives of those who require epinephrine to combat allergic reactions. continued from previous page