Drug Delivery
EXECUTIVE INTERVIEW – Owen Mumford & Stevanato Group: Collaborating to Produce Aidaptus® Auto-injector
Michael Earl, Director of Pharmaceutical Services at Owen Mumford, and Steven Kaufman, Vice President for Drug Delivery Systems at Stevanato Group, discuss their collaboration in producing the innovative Aidaptus auto-injector.
EXCIPIENT COMPACTION STUDY – Developing a Reliable Controlled-Release Polymer Using a Compaction Simulator
Gopeshkumar Singh, MS, and Ajit Bhagat provide study results showing that through polymer chemistry, it is viable to effectively manufacture matrix tablets via a simple direct compression method; and Hypromellose has impressive compatibility at various compression forces.
EXECUTIVE INTERVIEW – Credence MedSystems: Implementing a Flexible Manufacturing Line to Deliver Innovation in Drug Delivery to the Pharmaceutical Industry
Jeffrey Tillack, Chief Operating Officer at Credence MedSystems, discusses the challenges being addressed by his innovative technology and the role its new Flex Line will play in the company’s scaling strategy.
PLATFORM TECHNOLOGY – The Evolution of Cancer Vaccines: Moving Beyond Failure & a New Era for Cancer Treatment
Jeremy R. Graff, PhD, says new studies show promising data with the use of mRNA-based vaccines and the injection of nanoparticles into regional lymph nodes to achieve disease stabilization. This has led to a potentially groundbreaking era of therapeutic cancer vaccines thanks to discoveries in identifying truncal targets, targeting tumor neoantigens and, notably, developing improved delivery technologies that stimulate a robust, targeted, and persistent immune response.
TOP SPRAY GRANULATION – POLYOX™: Producing Lightweight Metformin Hydrochloride Extended-Release Tablets for Patient Adherence & Cost-Effective Manufacturing
Atul Lohade, PhD, Vinay Muley, and Tejas Gunjikar, PhD, explain how understanding the challenges associated with developing smaller extended-release tablets, and the excipient-based solutions to these challenges, will empower formulators to develop robust, stable drug formulations with high patient adherence while cutting manufacturing costs.
WHITEPAPER – Extrusion-Spheronization, Engineered for Today’s Controlled Release Forms
Synchronizing and controlling API delivery, extrusion-spheronization (E-S) offers pharmaceutical companies a robust technique to manufacture today’s most complex therapeutics.
WHITEPAPER – Launching a Drug-Device Combination: 5 Key Factors to Focus On
Going to market in a delivery device is one of the most complex steps in the life cycle of an injectable medication. A CDMO expert explains where to start and what to prepare for.
SPECIAL FEATURE – Injection Devices: Three Trends Influencing Development & Delivery
Contributor Cindy H. Dubin showcases in this annual feature how various innovative device manufacturers are addressing the current trends in their injection designs.
SOLUBILITY ENHANCEMENT – How Microparticles are Opening Doors to New Solutions for Oral Drug Delivery
Jessica Mueller-Albers, PhD, Yiming Ma, PhD, Alexander Bernhardt, PhD, and Michael Damm review the use of microparticles for solubility enhancement of oral small molecules and how this approach can address the challenges in pharmaceutical formulations.
WHITEPAPER – Key Considerations in Oral Delivery of Peptides – Factors to Consider While Evaluating Oral Administration
Peptide therapeutics are a hot topic in pharmaceutical R&D. While most peptides are administered parenterally, oral delivery of peptide therapeutics offers several advantages. Enteris BioPharma’s…
EXCLUSIVE ONLINE CONTENT

Gerresheimer & Corning Announce Joint Venture to Meet Growing Demand for Velocity® Vials, Accelerating the Delivery of Life-Saving Treatments
The partnership will combine Gerresheimer’s extensive glass converting expertise with Corning’s Velocity® Vial technology platform, helping set a new standard for the industry….

Pantherna & Evaxion Announce Promising Preclinical mRNA Vaccine Data
Evaxion Biotech A/S and Pantherna Therapeutics GmbH recently announced preclinical proof of concept for the combination of the two companies’ key….

Stevanato Group Collaborates With Transcoject to Provide Pre-Fillable Syringe Polymer Options for Pharma
Leading drug containment provider to release a unique offering including both COP and COC pre-fillable syringes (PFS), adding to its existing glass PFS portfolio, providing customers with the broadest choice for PFS….

Revive Therapeutics Enters Research Collaboration Agreement With PharmaTher for Development of MDMA Transdermal Patch
Revive Therapeutics Ltd. recently announced it has entered into a research collaboration agreement with PharmaTher Holdings Ltd. to evaluate the delivery of 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) using PharmaTher’s novel microneedle….

Start-Up Innovation at Pharmapack 2023
Pharmapack Europe 2023 returns to its traditional February timing for the first time since the start of the pandemic and provides the industry with a vital early window into many of tomorrow’s technologies that improve patient experience, adherence, and delivery…..
MARKET NEWS & TRENDS
WEBINARS

ON-DEMAND WEBINAR – Exploring Pectin & the Advancement of Delayed Release Technology
In this webinar, experts will provide an overview of why the properties and structure of pectin are well suited for site-specific delivery to the colon. In addition, experts will also provide insights into how softgel capsules, formed by the combination of both pectin and gelatin, are used in OptiGel® DR, a new delayed release delivery technology for pharmaceutical applications.

WEBINAR – Understanding Patch Composition for Effective Transdermal Delivery
As the advantages of transdermal drug delivery grow, the global market for transdermal patches also is growing. Join DuPont™ Liveo™ Healthcare Solutions and Gattefossé Pharmaceuticals for a complimentary one-hour webinar to explore the current….

Celanese Live Webinar: Engineering Drug Delivery to Improve Therapeutic Outcomes
Celanese and ThermoFisher Scientific have partnered together to present the value of the VitalDose® EVA drug delivery platform and manufacturing through Hot Melt Extrusion (HME) on September 9, 2021.

Where Do We Stand on Poorly Soluble Drugs and Peptides in Oral Delivery?
The Rule of 5 suggests that, for oral bioavailability, a better chance for oral absorption is obtained when the molecules are within the parameters of the Rule of 5’. However, the pharmaceutical industry is achieving oral efficacy with drugs that exceed….

Bespak by Recipharm Webinar: Learn How To Overcome Viscous Formulation Challenges For Parenteral Delivery
There have been many challenges holding back widespread adoption of self-administered injectable formulations. One of the most pressing is the need to develop an auto-injector with a fine enough needle for….
WHITE PAPERS

WHITEPAPER – Infographic-Zydis® Orally Disintegrating Tablet (ODT) vs. Standard Tablets (ST)
Catalent’s proprietary Zydis® ODT platform is backed by a large number of clinical studies. This infographic provides a high level summary of studies comparing Zydis ODT against traditional oral tablets…..

WHITEPAPER WORKSHOP – Soft Mist Inhalers
Soft mist inhalers (SMIs) are a versatile technology suitable for the delivery of both small and complex large molecules, optimising lung deposition whilst minimising oropharyngeal deposition…..

WHITEPAPER – Extrusion-Spheronization, Engineered for Today’s Controlled Release Forms
Synchronizing and controlling API delivery, extrusion-spheronization (E-S) offers pharmaceutical companies a robust technique to manufacture today’s most complex therapeutics.

WHITEPAPER – Launching a Drug-Device Combination: 5 Key Factors to Focus On
Going to market in a delivery device is one of the most complex steps in the life cycle of an injectable medication. A CDMO expert explains where to start and what to prepare for.

WHITEPAPER – Key Considerations in Oral Delivery of Peptides – Factors to Consider While Evaluating Oral Administration
Peptide therapeutics are a hot topic in pharmaceutical R&D. While most peptides are administered parenterally, oral delivery of peptide therapeutics offers several advantages. Enteris BioPharma’s…
What are Drug Delivery Systems?
Drug delivery systems are engineered technologies for the targeted delivery and/or controlled release of therapeutic agents. The practice of drug delivery has changed significantly in the past few decades and even greater changes are anticipated in the near future. Drug delivery includes but is not limited to oral delivery, gene/cell delivery, topical/transdermal delivery, inhalation deliver, parenteral delivery, respiratory delivery, capsules, particle design technology, buccal delivery, etc.
The Evolution of Drug Delivery Systems
Drug delivery systems have greatly evolved over the past 6 decades. In the past 12 years specifically, there have been huge advancements in drug delivery technology. For instance, advanced medication delivery systems, such as transdermal patches, are able to deliver a drug more selectively to a specific site, which frequently leads to easier, more accurate, and less dosing overall. Devices such as these can also lead to a drug absorption that is more consistent with the site and mechanism of action. There are other drug delivery systems used in both medical and homecare settings that were developed because of various patient needs and researchers continue to develop new methods.
Drug Delivery System Market Size
The pharmaceutical drug delivery market size is studied on the basis of route of administration, application, and region to provide a detailed assessment of the market. On the basis of route of administration, it is segmented into oral delivery, pulmonary delivery, injectable delivery, nasal delivery, ocular delivery, topical delivery, and others.
The estimated global market size of drug delivery products was $1.4 trillion in 2020. Unfortunately, 40% of marketed drugs and 90% of pipeline drugs (mostly small molecules) are poorly soluble in water, which makes parenteral, topical, and oral delivery difficult or impossible. In relation, poor solubility often leads to low drug efficacy. Add in the fact that many other hurdles exist in the form of drug loading, stability, controlled release, toxicity, and absorption – it’s not hard to understand the difficulties in bringing new drug products to market. Additionally, biopharmaceuticals (proteins, peptides, nucleic acids, etc) and combination drug products possess many of these same problematic obstacles that affect efficacy. These challenges, coupled with the complexity and diversity of new pharmaceuticals, have fueled the development of a novel drug delivery platforms that overcome a great many bioavailability and delivery obstacles. By leveraging these platforms, pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies can improve dosing accuracy, efficacy, and reproducibility in their drug discovery and drug delivery research.
Drug Delivery System Demand
The demand for pharmaceutical products worldwide is only going to increase in the coming years, as old and emerging diseases continue to threaten the well-being of people globally. Drug discovery efforts are expected to intensify, generating a large variety of active compounds with vastly different structures and properties. However, it is well known that despite tremendous output of the drug discovery process, the success rate of a candidate compound becoming an approved drug product is extremely low. The majority of candidate compounds are discarded due to various hurdles in formulation and preclinical testing (such as issues with solubility, stability, manufacturing, storage, and bioavailability) before even entering into clinical studies. Therefore, advances in formulation and drug delivery, especially the development of new and versatile biomaterial platforms as effective excipients, may salvage many “difficult,” otherwise triaged, drug compounds, and significantly enhance their chance of becoming viable products. Furthermore, breakthroughs in biomaterial platform technologies will also facilitate life cycle management of existing APIs through reformulation, repurposing of existing APIs for new indications, and development of combination products consisting of multiple APIs.