Our Story:
The founders of RS Therapeutics, Dr. Azarmi and Dr. Löbenberg were looking for an answer to the question: “Why do doctors prescribe high concentrations of diclofenac in different bases”? As drug delivery experts, they saw that the science did not match up with the prescribing pattern. If a drug is released from its base and penetrates through the skin it can unfold its pharmacological effect locally. However, the total drug amount administered on one joint of a 10% compounded topical preparation already exceeds the recommended total daily dose. However, patients were not getting any real pain-relief from the higher concentrations either, and luckily to our best knowledge no serious side effects were reported for compounded preparations with high drug content.
In a research project the drug release from different diclofenac preparations compounded by pharmacies or sold as finished product were compared. The study showed that the drug release from compounding bases and the commercial product were slow. To overcome this problem, a water-based nanotechnology foam which enhances drug release and ultimately skin penetration significantly was developed. The results of this study were published in 2018 (please see publications).
Later a published patient case report showed promising pain-relief when only 2% diclofenac were administered by patients with joint pain (please see publications). This new compounding foam base is now available under the trademark of FoamaDerm®.
Our Team:
Dr. Shirzad Azarmi, CEO
Dr. Azarmi holds a PharmD from Tabriz University in Iran. He received his PhD in Pharmaceutics from the same University in 2003. He did his post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Alberta on Nano Drug Delivery Systems. He is the author and co-author of over 50 scientific articles. He is the co-founder of RS Therapeutics Inc.
Dr. Raimar Löbenberg, CSO
Dr. Löbenberg is professor of pharmaceutical sciences at the University of Alberta, Canada. He earned a bachelor's degree in pharmacy from the Johannes Gutenberg University, and a Ph.D. in pharmaceutics from the Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University in Frankfurt. He completed his Post Doc at the University of Michigan before joining the University of Alberta in 2000. He is the founder and director of the Drug Development and Innovation Centre at the University of Alberta. His research spans from Biopharmaceutics and formulation science to nano drug delivery.
He co-founded RS Therapeutics and led the team to the publication of a draft monograph by the United States Pharmacopeia on medicated FoamaDerm. His leadership extends to various committees, including the United States Pharmacopeia Dietary Supplement Expert Committee, Specialty Committee of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Pharmaceutics and Health Canada Scientific Advisory Committee. He served as the president of Canadian Society for Pharmaceutical Sciences (2014-2015).
Dr. Ryan Huseyni, Partner
Dr. Huseyni, as a physician and a consultant to hospitals, healthcare systems, physician groups has a unique and complementary blend of experience that includes success in global healthcare business development, branding and marketing, market expansion and hands-on management of healthcare environments. Dr. Huseyni’s expertise in marketing and business development is focused on formulating strategies to help healthcare organizations optimize resource utilization and realize revenue and profit growth opportunities. Prior to joining RS Therapeutics, he had his start in investment banking before returning to academia in order to matriculate in medical school. Upon earning his MD, he served as a Medical Director of a consortium of multi-specialty ASCs. In that capacity, he assisted with the acquisition of capital investment, analyzed resource allocation, and engaged in negotiations with joint venture partners. Along with the senior management role, he also served to establish additional healthcare facilities. In 2015, Dr. Huseyni also co-founded a healthcare consultancy with an emphasis on business development in healthcare environments while serving as a Partner at a strategic marketing advisory firm. In 2017, Dr. Huseyni went on to establish an MSO for the management of a portfolio of clinical facilities.