(Amherst, NH) – Technology has a way of providing benefits that create complexities, a lesson that drug developers and their supply chain partners are learning to deal with. Historically, the success of new drugs has focused on tolerability, safety, and pharmacokinetics. The challenges of biologically-derived drugs have added new requirements to successful drug development. Because of their far-reaching physiological effects, environmental instability and limited half-lives, recombinant drugs are pushing drug technology in a number of areas including formulation science, packaging, and delivery. The formulation of biologics is testing the limits of drug development. The use of polymers to stabilize protein and peptide drugs is growing, and advances in drying and reconstitution are providing new options. For drugs designed to be administered by the patient, therapy-specific packaging is improving compliance and treatment outcomes. In the area of delivery, reusable injection devices designed to accept prefilled syringes or drug cartridges is improving ease-of-use and increasing the alternative device share of the growing self-injection market.
In terms of market value, most of the current demand in injectable drugs can be traced to six drug classes. For companies competing in these drug sectors, the stakes are significant and the cost of failure prohibitive. These drugs had total world sales of about $40 billion in 2007. As biological drugs currently in late-stage development become commercialized, the importance of injectable drugs to company business performance will grow considerably.
These findings are contained in a comprehensive report, researched and prepared by Greystone Associates. More information is available at www.greystoneassociates.org .
About GreystoneGreystone Associates is a medical and healthcare technology consulting firm providing services in strategic planning, venture development, product commercialization, and technology and market assessment.
