A new study from Scientia (Cambridge, Massachusetts) shows that many drug delivery companies will need to rethink their current strategies in order to remain competitive. Increased decentralization, new cell, gene and RNAI therapies, along with a growing emphasis on patient selfcare, promise to alter the landscape for drug delivery technology.
The study reviewed the growing market for parenteral technologies such as infusion, injection, catheters and implants that penetrate patients' skin so that medication can be released into the bloodstream or local tissue.
Parenteral is the means of drug delivery via routes other than the digestive tract, but practically, the term refers to delivery by infusion, injection and implant delivery systems. Injectable and infusion drug delivery devices mechanically deliver drugs to the circulatory system or local tissue.
"What we want to convey to companies, is that they need to think about how the consumers are going to use these devices," Harry Glorikian, Scientia Managing Partner told Medical Device Daily. "We're seeing prefilled syringes, we're seeing pin injectors. We're seeing new forms of delivery, which is easier for the patient and actually is causing better regulation of the disease."
These parenteral technologies are only gaining ground according to the report. Glorikian said that based on intensive primary and secondary research and proprietary analytic techniques, Scientia projects market growth of 7%, from $11.8 billion in 2007 to $16.7 billion in 2012.
Growth in this parenteral market will be driven primarily by the increasing use of biological drugs such as insulin and monoclonal antibodies, which must be delivered through the skin. (If taken orally, they are digested by the gut and rendered ineffective).
According to the report, these products can be parsed into two main categories by channel; professional (hospitals, clinics, phlebotomy labs, etc. and consumer (self-administration, home/ mobile use.
Consumer parenteral products are linked to the increasing management of chronic disease by the patient, such as diabetes; because the ideal is to restore the body's glucose management, the products are constantly being developed to close the gap between reality and that goal.
The study says that interesting pockets of growth exist in the professional channel.
But Glorikian added that there would be a switch with the consumer channel growing at a considerable rate, much more so than the professional channel stands to grow.
By 2012 the consumer side should grow from where it is now at 20% to just over 30% according to Scientia.
A potential game changer would have transmucosals delivered biologically, which would speed up the timetable for the consumer channel gaining ground.
"If we can get transmucosals to be delivered biologically, it could be a new way for delivery, it would be a paradigm shift in the way we administer medication. But before that can happen there are a lot of hurdles in the technology that we must first cross," Glorikian said.
Although the study isn't based on upcoming healthcare reform proposals, Glorikian said that the mere focus on this technology could lead to some savings that legislators have long been pining for.
"If patients could manage their medications at home and not come into the hospital, it would lead to savings," he said. "If patients had an easier way of administering drugs, a less painful way, then they could get a much better handle on their illness and significantly cut back on being treated in hospitals."
Some of that is already happening.
For consumers with chronic illnesses we're seeing them use more pen injectors," Glorikian said. "This technology is actually leading to a better regulation of disease."
One promising bit of technology that has recently emerged comes from Engineering researchers at McMaster University who have fabricated a palm-sized, automated, micro-injector that can insert proteins, DNA and other biomolecules into individual cells at volumes exponentially higher than current procedures, and at a fraction of the cost.
This will allow scientists to vastly increase preclinical trials for drug development and genetic engineering, and provide greater control of the process.
The technology holds great promise for in vitro fertilization as it provides far greater accuracy and control than current manual injections procedures, which have high rates of failure, require trained expertise and can be time intensive.
Glorkian said that technology was crossing over into the nutrition side as well and lending itself to a broader scope than just healthcare.
Ultimately he said, he hopes the study will shine a bright light on parenteral market and cause companies to think about more convenient drug delivery applications.
"Scientia does a lot of these studies, but what we want to make sure that people are aware of is that there are changes in the market and we're on top of these changes," he said.
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