Our products


Our proprietary technology platform supports a broad pipeline. We are developing a portfolio of point-of-care, enzyme-based products designed to improve nutritional care in a number of rare diseases.

Our lead device is RELiZORB®—a cartridge that reliably and efficiently helps deliver nutritional and caloric benefit from existing enteral feeding formulas. RELiZORB can be used in hospital inpatient care, the intensive care unit, at home, or any other patient point of care.
 

Learn more about RELiZORB

Enzyme products
designed for
enteral nutrition

RELiZORB logo
RELiZORB cartridge

Improved nutrition from the outside in.

The only FDA-cleared enzymatic product studied and indicated for use with enteral feeding, RELiZORB is a cartridge that utilizes Alcresta’s proprietary enzyme immobilization technology and contains iLipase®, the digestive enzyme lipase attached to polymeric microbead carriers. RELiZORB easily connects in-line to the enteral feeding tube and breaks down fats in formula so they’re easier for patients to absorb. 

How does RELiZORB work?

The enteral tube feeding formula passes through RELiZORB and makes contact with the iLipase, which breaks down the fat in the formula into an absorbable form (fatty acids and monoglycerides) prior to ingestion. The iLipase remains in the RELiZORB cartridge and is not ingested by the patient, even over hours-long feedings.

RELiZORB diagram

RELiZORB has been shown to break down fats in enteral tube feeding formulas, including long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs) such as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and arachidonic acid (AA), which are critical for growth and development, yet very difficult to break down. Please see the list of compatible formulas.

RELiZORB is indicated for use in pediatric patients (ages 2 years and above) and adult patients to hydrolyze fats in enteral formula. RELiZORB is for use with enteral feeding only; do not connect to intravenous or other medical tubing. Medications should not be administered through RELiZORB. For more information about RELiZORB, including Instructions for Use and Patient Guide, please visit RELiZORB.com.

iLipase

The digestive enzyme lipase is attached to polymeric microbead carriers and is stored within the RELiZORB cartridge without being ingested by the patient.

RELiZORB was assigned to the B4105 HCPCS billing code effective Jan. 1, 2019.

"Our 8-year-old son with cystic fibrosis has been using RELiZORB with his overnight g-tube feeds for almost 3 years now. We just want to say thank you to everyone involved in the development and the distribution of RELiZORB. It’s an amazing product that has made such a difference in our lives. "

Alcresta Therapeutics pipeline

The Next-Generation RELiZORB® was FDA-cleared in December 2023

The cleared device expands on Alcresta’s novel digestive enzyme technology to broaden the utility of the device to be compatible with both continuous and bolus feeds, compatible with a wider range of enteral formulas, and to allow for use of up to 6 cartridges per day.

The expanded utility will help support more patients with varying tube feeding needs, including those with Short Bowel Syndrome (SBS), for whom bolus feeding is a common enteral nutrition approach.

About Short Bowel Syndrome (SBS):

  • The small intestine is where the majority of the nutrients you eat are absorbed into your body during digestion. Short bowel syndrome (SBS) is a condition in which patients don’t have a sufficiently long small intestine. The majority of cases are due to the surgical removal of part of the small intestine (also called a resection). Although rare, some infants are born with an abnormally short small intestine or with part of their bowel missing. SBS is a serious, complex disorder with many causes that can impact people at all stages of life.
  • SBS patients are commonly infused intravenously with parenteral nutrition (PN). PN is associated with high morbidity and mortality, IV related infections that can result in sepsis, and liver disease. ALC-078 may have the potential to shift the ratio of calories from parental (IV) to enteral (tube feeding) nutrition.
  • Alcresta sponsored two pre-clinical animal studies at Boston Children’s Hospital to evaluate safety and efficacy of ALC-078 use with enteral feeding in a pediatric porcine model of short bowel syndrome. Boston Children’s Hospital is also currently enrolling patients with short bowel syndrome for two clinical trials. Learn more about pre-clinical and clinical studies.

ALC-079 is being investigated for Neonatal Care

Neonatal pancreatic immaturity often leads to inadequate lipase levels resulting in fat malabsorption and key omega 3 & omega 6 fatty acid (DHA and AA) deficiencies. At birth, lipase levels are typically only at 10% of childhood levels so the need is greatest in a baby’s first weeks of life. Dietary fat digestion and absorption play an important role in meeting daily caloric requirements for growth and specific fatty acids are critical for proper development of the brain, nervous system, and most systems in a baby’s body. Lipase is needed to break down these fats.

Donor milk and infant formula present additional potential issues. A mother’s own milk has “pre-lipase” (BSSL) to help break down fats for absorption by the baby. However, donor milk lipase activity is lost in the pasteurization process and infant formula does not contain lipase. Without sufficient lipase, triglyceride fats are not absorbed from infant formula leading to GI issues and poor weight gain.

An enzyme therapy for this population is greatly needed. ALC-079 potentially expands iLipase utility to neonates allowing Alcresta Therapeutics to address fat malabsorption and infant formula tolerance in neonates while they develop more mature pancreatic function.

There are several ongoing investigator-initiated studies (IITs).

Pipeline
Reference:
  1. Leonard A, Bailey J, Bruce A, Jia S, Stein A, Fulton J, Helmick M, Litvin M, Patel A, Powers KE, Reid E, Sankararaman S, Clemm C, Reno K, Hempstead SE, DiMango E. Nutritional considerations for a new era: A CF foundation position paper. J Cyst Fibros. 2023 May 23:S1569-1993(23)00140-6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcf.2023.05.010