Drug Delivery Technologies: Nano-enabled Delivery

Published Date: 26/06/2009
Category: Drug Delivery & Devices

Research Report Decription

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Nano-enabled Delivery

The true value of nanotechnology lies in its potential to improve the solubility and enhance the efficiency of product delivery. It has been successfully applied to the commercialisation of more than 30 drugs. Regulators have published numerous white papers on the topic and established Task Forces to monitor the progress and application of this technology although there are presently no regulations specific to nanomedicine or nano-enabled medical devices.

As the field of nanotechnology gains momentum and nano-enabled platforms emerge to address the industry’s need for therapeutic, bioavailable and less toxic products, this market is expected to grow significantly over the next decade. Proof of concept data with novel compounds is accumulating and new formulations of old chemotherapeutic drugs offer the promise to revolutionise cancer therapies.

Key Questions Answered:

Unique company & technology evaluation

It is vital that management information is reliable, current and insightful. Today, product and company assessment must be seen in a wider competitive and market environment. In this report we present a précis on each of the leading delivery specialists and potential new delivery platforms and have identified their key attributes, based on a number of criteria including:

• What proprietary delivery technologies are under evaluation?
• Which delivery technologies are being applied by the pharmaceutical industry?
• Who are the leading delivery specialists within the sector?
• What are the key competitors within the delivery technology sector?
• Which products are under development or approved utilising these novel delivery technologies?

Companies Mentioned:

AlphaRx Corporation, ALZA Corporation, Antares Pharma, Biovail Corporation, Camurus AB, Cerulean Pharma, Cipher Pharmaceuticals, Debiopharm Group, DelSite Biotechnologies, Depomed, Durect Corporation, Elan Corporation, Elite Pharmaceuticals, Endo Pharmaceuticals, Ethypharm SA,Eurand N.V., Flamel Technologies, Glycologic, KV Pharmaceuticals, Labopharm, Lavipharm SA, Nano Interface Technology, OctoPlus N.V., Penwest Pharmaceuticals, SCOLR Pharma, Shire, Skinvisible, SkyePharma, Spherics Pharmaceuticals, Watson Pharmaceuticals

Paper Highlights:

• The potential of future applications: Tissue specific delivery – targeting the delivery of small and macro molecules across biological membranes such as the blood brain barrier for CNS drugs; Gene and vaccine delivery – non-viral delivery of genetic materials in nanohydrogels and nanocarriers with a high degree of efficiency and expression; Controlled-release devices – design of new nanoporous, bioerodible membranes; Increased biocompatibility – design of artificial surfaces engineering for medical and dental implants to by-pass unwanted inflammatory response; Improved drug bioavailability and solubility – through the engineering of drugs and reagents by nanostructuring; Applied diagnosis, etiology, prognosis and therapy (ADEPT) technology for the safe targeted delivery of toxic therapeutic drugs.
• By 2018, the market could exceed US$13 billion: By 2018 the established nanotechnology product market will be US$10.2 billion. The market will mature as the number of marketed nano-enabled products doubles and second generation nanomedicines begin to emerge. These agents will address areas of high unmet clinical need and result in the formulation of approved and novel drugs which are safer, less toxic and more efficacious than first generation products.By 2018 these second generation nanomedicines could generate sales of nearly US$2.9 billion and establish nanotechnology as an important tool in the industry’s delivery armoury. A range of proprietary delivery platforms will utilise CaP technologies, FluidCrystals, micelles and polymeric nanoparticles to target a number of therapy areas such as CNS disorders, oncology and infectious diseases.

This report is part of a major new 4-volume strategic analysis

Drug Delivery Technologies: Players, Products & Prospects to 2018

Focusing on the sectors that are driving growth

• VOLUME I: CONTROLLED- RELEASE
• VOLUME II: NANOTECHNOLOGY
• VOLUME III: NUCLEIC ACID DELIVERY
• VOLUME IV: TARGETED DELIVERY

We have established a competitor ratio analysis based on each of the criteria mentioned above. Each criterion attracts an award of up to 10 points, with a maximum score of 50, thus enabling the establishment of an Espicom “ranking table” in each segment of the market, dependent on their relative attributes.

Multi-point evaluation and scoring assessment

Pharma drugs that utilise drug delivery systems have been evaluated based on a number of parameters, including:

• The technology: Comparison of delivery platforms within each area including: activated, degradation or diffusion for controlled-release systems; nano-engineered (nanocrystals, nanoparticle, nanosuspension) or nanocarriers (carbon/ceramic, dendrimer, liposome, micelle, polymeric nanoparticles) for nano-enabled delivery; viral or non-viral platforms for nucleic acid delivery and active or passive platforms for targeted delivery systems
• The application of the technology within a number of therapy areas: Route of delivery (oral, parenteral, transdermal, implantable), delivery of small molecules/macromolecules and vaccines, additional features such as bioerodible materials etc
• The current status of the technology in clinical development or following approval: Number of approved and marketed products, clinical or preclinical development candidates, single or multiple products.
• Competition within the technology arena: Alternative drug delivery systems to technologies under evaluation, advantages and disadvantages over competitors.
• The drug delivery specialist’s expertise: Number of drug delivery systems in development, strategic alliances, financial position, marketing presence.
• The product portfolio: Drug delivery systems under evaluation, products in development, commercialisation/development partnerships.
• Potential drug sales: Based on key events such as market, competition, patent expiry, time of entry into the market.