The drug delivery market grows ever more complex with a wide variety of new formulation technologies and delivery devices entering the market that promise more targeted delivery and better patient compliance. The traditional delivery sectors – oral, pulmonary, injectable, ocular, nasal and topical – have latterly been joined by new transdermal, implantable and transmucosal technologies. Each technology can have specific benefits for particular therapies or population groups, especially where some of the traditional routes (e.g. injectables and oral) have inherent disadvantages, upon which the newer delivery systems can capitalise.
Drug delivery can be viewed in two parts: new formulation technology and device technology. Both have seen increased diversification, with formulation technology moving from plain drug reformulation and release technologies to more effective delivery of biologicals, use of liposomes and nanotechnologies that may enable delivery across previously impassable membranes – such as the blood-brain barrier.
The search for better formulations has been partially driven by patent expiries of certain blockbuster drugs, while the move to new devices that simplify delivery and aid compliance is being fuelled by growing demand for self-administration and home healthcare provision. Rising incidence of chronic diseases – cardiovascular, diabetes and cancer – and growing focus on pediatric and geriatric patients are accelerating the growth of this market. However, a high rate of drug failures and recalls are also a limiting feature.
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