Bulky Polar Additives That Greatly Reduce the Viscosity of Concentrated Solutions of Therapeutic Monoclonal Antibodies

Abstract The viscosity of concentrated aqueous solutions of 3 clinical monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), Erbitux®, Herceptin®, and Rituxan®, has been reduced up to over 10-fold by adding certain bulky polar additives instead of saline at isotonic levels. Because these additives are also found not to compromise mAbs' stability against aggregation induced by stresses, a drug-delivery modality switch from intravenous infusions to more convenient and inexpensive parenteral options like subcutaneous injections may become possible.