With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the development and introduction of an antiviral drug, Remdesivir, was accelerated. This drug contains an important pharmaceutical excipient-Sulfobutylether-β-Cyclodextrin (SBECD).
SBECD is typically a white amorphous powder and serves as a novel solubilizing agent for injections. It is synthesized from β-Cyclodextrin and 1,4-butane sultone. The substitution reaction of the SEB group can occur at the 2nd, 3rd, and 6th hydroxyl groups of the β-CD glucose units. The substitution pattern of the SEB groups can be understood as the average number of SEB groups per β-CD skeleton. Factors such as the content of SEB-β-CD, average degree of substitution, distribution of substitution, moisture, acidity, and particle size distribution may influence its solubilizing capacity. Therefore, SBECD generally exhibits good water solubility and a hydrophobic cavity structure. By forming inclusion complexes with drugs, it can effectively improve drug solubility and stability, making it widely applicable in the field of pharmaceutical formulations.
SBECD has unique advantages due to its ability to form inclusion complexes with poorly soluble drugs, giving it broad application prospects in drug delivery, cancer therapy, gene delivery, and biosensing. Currently, SBECD is commercially widely used in oral or parenteral administration, and therapeutic products for other routes of administration (such as nasal, ocular, and pulmonary) are awaiting further development.
