Canadian biotech company Rapid Dose Therapeutics (RDT) is looking to revolutionize how consumers and patients take nutraceuticals and therapeutic products through its proprietary delivery system branded as QuickStrip.
 
QuickStrip is a thin film made from a soluble polymer that can be embedded with active ingredients, said Kristina Shea, marketing and communications director with RDT. “Our proprietary technology micronizes the active ingredient droplets so the active ingredient is delivered through the oral mucosa tissue.”
 
Quickstrip is taken on or under the tongue, which is preferred, or inside the cheek. “As the film contacts saliva in the mouth it begins to dissolve instantly and is completely dissolved within seconds of placement on or under the tongue and oral mucosa,” said Shea. “The active ingredient is then delivered quickly to the bloodstream by diffusing through pores in the mouth.”
 
This offers the consumer a faster pathway to the desired effect of the active ingredient since it directly enters the bloodstream, bypassing the digestive system that is normally seen in oral ingestion of delivery methods such as tablets, capsules, and softgels. “The QuickStrip route of administration can also prevent first-pass metabolism by the liver—ensuring the consumer loses as little of the dose as possible to breakdown by the body before the user can experience the effect,” Shea said.
 
The QuickStrip technology has almost unlimited applications, she added. “There are a wide variety of ingredients from nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, and cannabis derived sources that can be incorporated into QuickStrip products.”
 
Ultimately, QuickStrip offers a “game-changing, pill-free and needle-free delivery solution for low-dose therapeutics,” Shea said.
 
The QuickStrip nutraceutical line currently includes three products: Energy (caffeine), B12, and Sleep (melatonin). QuickStrip will also be available for cannabis products, according to Shea. RDT does not grow cannabis; instead the company licenses the proprietary delivery technology to select licensed cannabis producers to offer a “No Smoke, No Smell, No Stigma” delivery method, Shea said.
 
RDT was founded by CEO Mark Upsdell who was searching for alternative delivery methods after an elderly family member was ill but not taking prescribed medication due to issues taking pills. This eventually caused the condition to worsen and in the end the family member passed away.
 
“Improved patient compliance results in improved outcomes,” Shea said. “With this agenda in mind, Mark formed Rapid Dose Therapeutics and developed the QuickStrip product. RDT collaborated with academic institutions such as McMaster University and the Adronov Polymer Group to dissolve and deliver its active ingredient as quickly as possible. RDT also works closely with UNLV in Nevada for further research and development of the delivery system.”