Innovation Driving Opportunities For Active Transdermal Drug Delivery Analysis By Greystone Associates Reveals Market And Technology Factors

Main Category: Dermatology
Article Date: 29 Jan 2008 - 1:00 PDT

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With compliance concerns continuing to drive investment in new drug delivery technologies, interest in transdermal delivery systems is proliferating. But as work with passive transdermal systems has progressed, so too has the realization of the true extent of the barrier to drug delivery presented by the stratum corneum, the skin's outer layer of dead cells. While work in the area of penetration enhancers and patch design have led to improvements, it has become clear that the choice of compounds that are eligible for delivery via passive patches is highly restrictive.

To expand the limits of transdermal drug delivery, developers are employing energy sources such as ultrasound, heat and electrical current to affect active transport through the skin. Another approach is the modification or removal of surface skin layers, a group of technologies collectively referred to as microporation, which can be used alone or in conjunction with energy-enabled devices to expand the size and type of drug molecules capable of transdermal delivery. These techniques can increase the upper molecular size limit dramatically, opening up a host of opportunities for transdermal delivery.

These findings are examined in a new and comprehensive survey written and researched by Greystone Associates. The survey concludes that to take full advantage of these evolving dynamics, active transdermal delivery participants must deal with a number of economic and market forces influencing the way drug companies develop and commercialize their products. Success will favor those sector participants willing to incorporate patient-centric design features and drug-device combination engineering paradigms into their product development programs.

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

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