From rxpgnews.com

Pharmacology
The Era Of Engineered Release Drug Formulations
By Akanksha, Pharmacology Correspondent
Feb 8, 2005, 20:12

Oral drug delivery is evolving as newly discovered classes of therapeutically active compounds to challenge the capabilities of traditional pills and capsules.To meet this challenge,developers of oral formulations are increasingly seeking new methods and technologies for delivering drugs in ways that achieve optimal pharmaceutical kinetics while insuring therapeutic bioavailability.Once viewed as a way to extend patent life or address niche therapeutic markets, engineered release drug formulations are now viewed as a family of technologies that are essential to addressing increasingly sophisticated therapeutic targets.

An increasing number of drugs are being introduced in engineered release formulations. "As the art and science of engineered release proliferate in the marketplace, the ability to fine tune materials and processes to achieve therapeutic goals for an increasingly wide range of drugs will improve," explains George Perros, Greystone Managing Director.

Another factor influencing the trend to engineered oral dosage forms is the desire for better patient compliance through less-frequent dosing."To meet the needs of patients,particularly aging patient populations,developers and formulators are emphasizing the creation of oral formulations engineered for once-daily administration," add Perros.

More than two-dozen companies are now promoting a broad range of engineered oral delivery technologies.These companies are working with drug developers at pharmaceutical companies around the world to help define the prescription formulations that will enter preclinical development and the clinical trial pipeline in the coming months and years.

The survey's findings are contained in a new and comprehensive report: Next-Generation Oral Drug Delivery: Platforms, Players, and Prospects. The survey finds that, as the pace of drug discovery escalates, the ability to tailor dosage forms to optimize therapeutic value will be a key differentiator for drug market participants, and projects that more than half of all oral drugs will incorporate engineered release technology by the end of the decade.

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