Microneedle Drug Delivery Systems Hold Promise for Drug Developers; New Survey by Greystone Associates Examines Technology Advances and Market Potential
Advances in materials processing - technologies that include micromachining, nanoprocessing and structured film forming - are creating new devices and new opportunities for minimally invasive drug delivery. These advances have led to the development and introduction of devices that employ very small needles - microneedles - that deliver drugs by mechanically perforating the outer skin layer and allowing for transdermal absorption of the active compound. The processing techniques incorporate one or more technologies that enable the precise machining, extrusion, casting, and/or forming of from one to an array or grid of microneedles.
Microneedle technology is attaining commercial viability at a time when drug developers are faced with new challenges as they assess ways to administer a new class of compounds with significant therapeutic potential. The widespread availability of rapid throughput screening is accelerating the discovery of large-molecule therapeutic compounds that cannot tolerate passage through the digestive system, requiring pharmaceutical companies to forego oral formulations and select alternate routes of administration.
“By penetrating the stratum corneum, microneedle delivery systems can effectively deliver drugs systemically with minimal discomfort,” explains George Perros, Greystone Associates Managing Director. “Evolving microneedle systems will be well-positioned to address a significant segment of the large-molecule biological drugs expected to emerge from the convergence of automated discovery and genome mapping.”
These findings are contained in a new and comprehensive report: Microneedle Drug Delivery: Technology, Markets, and Prospects. The survey concludes that microneedles and microneedle arrays will gain traction at the expense of injection and passive transdermal patches, particularly among emerging biologics.
More information is available at 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.
CONTACT:
Greystone Associates Mark Smith, 603-595-4340 Fax: 603-804-0466 www.greystoneassociates.org
