Our DURIN™ technology is a proprietary biodegradable implant that enables parenteral delivery of drugs for long-term delivery of active ingredients, from several weeks to six months or more using our Lactel® brand polymers and co-polymers of lactic and glycolic acid. The DURIN technology can deliver a wide variety of drugs including hydrophobic and hydrophilic compounds, as well as small and large molecule compounds. Our proprietary implant design allows for a variety of possible delivery profiles including first order, zero-order, delayed or biphasic drug release. Because DURIN implants are biodegradable, at the end of its delivery life, the body absorbs what remains of the DURIN implant.

DURECT is researching and developing products based on the DURIN technology for a variety of chronic disease applications. The DURIN technology is the basis of DURIN-Leuprolide, our product candidate for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease that is currently in Phase I/II clinical development program by Voyager Pharmaceutical Inc.

DURIN-Leuprolide is a product candidate under development for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease that uses our proprietary DURIN technology to provide sustained release of the peptide leuprolide acetate and is based on Voyager’s Pharmaceuticals’ (partner) patented method of treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.

Alzheimer's disease is a progressive, irreversible brain disorder with no known cause or cure. Symptoms of the disease include memory loss, confusion, impaired judgment, personality changes, disorientation, and loss of language skills. Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of irreversible dementia, eventually leading to fatalities. Approximately 100,000 patients die and 360,000 new cases of Alzheimer's disease are diagnosed each year. It is estimated that by 2050, 14 million individuals in the United States will have this disease. It is estimated that by 2020, 30 million people will be affected by this devastating disorder worldwide. The market potential for Alzheimer's disease treatments is estimated to be in excess of $10 billion.