Six global pharma companies show impact of TIM®

TIM^® systems provide value across both preclinical and clinical stages of development

A new independent White Paper has been released last week offering a comprehensive review of the growing impact of the TIM^® Platform in advancing oral drug development. Drawing on real-world case studies and recent technological advancements, a consortium of large pharmaceutical companies and a university jointly outline how TIM^® systems are evolving from specialized laboratory tools into strategic enablers of smarter, more predictive pharmaceutical development.

The White Paper showcases how TIM^® systems provide value across both preclinical and clinical stages of development. Through selected case studies, it illustrates how the platform supports:

• Formulation optimization
• Evaluation of food-drug interactions
• Assessment of bioaccessibility and dissolution behaviour
• Stronger translational strategies bridging in vitro performance and clinical outcomes

The review takes a balanced and transparent approach. It highlights not only the capabilities of the systems but also current limitations and areas for further refinement, reinforcing the scientific credibility of the conclusions.

The tiny-TIM and TIM-1 systems, part of the TIM Upper GI suite, simulate drug product performance in the human upper gastrointestinal tract under a wide range of intake conditions. By dynamically reproducing key physiological processes, including pH gradients, gastric emptying, secretion patterns and intestinal transit, the models provide highly biorelevant insights into dosage form behaviour.

While TIM^® systems have traditionally been used to predict food effects and guide formulation decisions, the White Paper highlights how their application has expanded significantly. Recent functionality upgrades, combined with advanced data integration approaches, now allow:

• Incorporation of intraluminal concentration and bioaccessibility profiles into in silico
• Enhanced clinical pharmacokinetic (PK) predictions
• Reduced uncertainty in early development when strategic adjustments are most impactful

By linking dynamic in vitro data with computational modeling, TIM^® systems help teams make more confident, evidence-based decisions earlier in the development pathway.

As pharmaceutical pipelines shift toward more complex formulations and poorly soluble compounds, the demand for predictive, human-relevant development tools is rising. The White Paper positions tiny-TIM and TIM-1 not only as reliable laboratory models but as strategic platforms that strengthen scientific understanding and reduce development risk.

Full reference

An Expert’s View on the Application of TIM Technology in the Development of Oral Drug Products
Álvaro López Mármol, Richard Barker, Mirko Koziolek, Robert Schwabe, Bart Hens, Inese Sarcevica, James M. Butler, Mark McAllister, Edward Taylor, Po-Chang Chiang, Nick Stainforth, Eleanor Jones, and Hannah Batchelor
Molecular Pharmaceutics; Article ASAP; DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.5c01197

Link to the full article here