Drug Companies Turn To Design Engineers To Fulfill Branding Strategies User Acceptance And Compliance Linked To Dosing-Specific Packaging

Main Category: Pharma Industry / Biotech Industry
Article Date: 10 Dec 2007 - 3:00 PDT

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Several forces are converging to create new demands on the way drugs are packaged and delivered. It is well-known that poor compliance with prescribing instructions - including how drugs are taken, how frequently, and for how long - has a negative effect on patient outcomes. The trend toward self-administration of powerful biologicals for chronic conditions - and the potential side effects of poor or incorrect administration - is driving the emergence of devices with user-friendly features such as dose counters, automatic actuators and electronic packaging that records patient actions. And the ongoing emphasis on direct-to-consumer marketing is driving the need to reinforce drug brand strategies.

Drug developers and marketers are addressing this new reality by working early and closely with device designers to define the optimal combination of functionality and patient acceptance parameters for their products. The result has been a shift toward therapy-specific devices and packaging. Numerous successes have already been achieved, ranging from child-friendly pen injectors for human growth hormone to breath-actuated dry powder inhalers for systemic delivery of insulin and integrated wearable active transdermal patches.

To compete effectively in this evolving environment, pharmaceutical product managers and marketing directors have added terms like design integration, concurrent engineering, and ease-of-use to their vocabularies. For medical design firms, this new approach provides significant opportunity, but also some risk. But as drug product design grows to become a substantial outsourcing requirement, it is the patient who stands to gain the most.

Recent surveys conducted by Greystone Associates reveal insightful information on the emergence of therapy-specific drug product design and its influence on prescribing and patient care. More information is available at http://www.greystoneassociates.org.

About Greystone

Greystone Associates is a medical and healthcare technology consulting firm providing services in strategic planning, venture development, product commercialization, and technology and market assessment.

Greystone Associates