As The Market Potential Grows, Developers Press For Keys To Delivering Systemic Drugs Via Inhalation

Main Category: Respiratory / Asthma
Also Included In: COPD;  Medical Devices / Diagnostics
Article Date: 27 May 2009 - 0:00 PDT

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At a time when the drug industry is striving for patient-friendly delivery methods for new and existing drugs, the growing availability of innovative inhaler device designs is driving interest in pulmonary drug delivery technology and devices as an alternative to oral and parenteral routes of administration. While well-established for treating upper respiratory diseases such as asthma and COPD, companies competing in the inhaled drug delivery sector - major players such as GlaxoSmithKline, AstraZeneca and Boehringer Ingelheim as well as pure-play start-ups - continue to view delivery of systemic drugs via inhalation as a major opportunity.

The primary reason for the attraction of systemic pulmonary drug delivery lies in converging and related trends in population demographics and disease incidence. As the median age of the global population continues to increase, conditions and diseases such as menopause, osteoporosis, diabetes, and heart disease, which require long-term therapy, are expected to become significantly more prevalent. This is driving a growing emphasis on drug self-administration for chronic conditions and greater interest in noninvasive drug delivery technology.

"The historical landscape for inhaled delivery of systemic drugs is marked by disappointment," explains Paul Brooks, Greystone Associates Senior Analyst. "But advances in drug formulation and inhalation device design are moving this technology approach closer to commercialization." Several of these development-stage drug products have the potential to make a significant impact in the therapeutic markets they target, improving patient compliance and effectively changing the way important illnesses and conditions are treated.

Developments in this sector are the subject of a comprehensive analysis by Greystone Associates, and are contained in a just-released report that analyzes existing and emerging systemic inhalation products, market participants, and key demand and technology factors influencing the commercial market and shaping growth in this sector.

More information is available here.

Source
Greystone Associates