Drug Delivery: Defined

Drug delivery refers to the manner in which a drug or pharmaceutical is administered to a patient that is either orally, through the skin, pulmonary or transdermal drug delivery. The materials provided by the pharmaceutical companies can be broken into two categories that is to create new drugs considering latest developments or to modify and improvise existing materials used in the drugs. Either ways one has to address issues relating to reducing toxicity of drugs, increasing their absorption and improving their release profile in the body.

 

Variable Methods of Drug Delivery

The delivery of drugs can vary depending on the illness. Transdermal drug delivery can be administered through the skin using micro needle or needle less technologies. They can be used to treat skin disorders, hormone replacement therapy, angina pectoris, smoking cessation and even neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease. Many of the latest developments in the treatment of neurological disorders will be biological therapies like cell, gene and antisense therapies. Cell therapy can be used to treat cardiac disorders, cancer, genetic disorders, fat reduction and diabetes mellitus. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is now replacing the old bone marrow transplant therapy. The cardiovascular market will have new approaches such as reversing of cardiovascular conditions utilizing cutting edge cell and gene based therapies. For diabetics Insulin pen devices were sold in Europe and Japan whereas syringes and pumps dominated the US markets. India and China are emerging as future potential markets for insulin delivery devices. Cancer drug delivery has come up with innovative methods based on concepts of molecular biology of cancer, these may be injected into the arterial circulation and guided to the tumour by magnetic field for targeted drug delivery, RNA’s are also used to be targeted to tumours in some cases.  

     

Oral delivery is the most popular and cost effective method however implantable, inject able and pulmonary methods are options for quick distribution and stronger dosages. Transdermal patches and new electric transfers are painless options for medicines that cannot be had orally. Pulmonary drug delivery market is expected to rise steadily in the next five years owing to new technologies such as dry powder inhalers.

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