In recent years, nanoenabled drugs have been hailed as the next generation of medicines. Due to their small size, their behaviour is determined by their dimensions, not just their chemical properties. Consequently, nanoenabled drugs have astounding properties unseen in any other type of material. They can be tailored to be quickly absorbed into the body, enter specific cells and release a payload of drugs in a controlled way. Such targeted drug delivery offers new hope to Cancer, AIDS and Hepatitis sufferers who when, undergoing traditional treatment, have to endure distressing side-effects through inefficient cell targeting of their potentially toxic drugs.
Major pharmaceutical companies seem to be on the verge of losing interest in nanoenabled drugs. Unimpressed with the profit margins of their incremental drugs with nano-characteristics, they have not seen a need to modify their strategies to find the next big blockbuster. They have therefore been content to sit back and let others take the lead in nanotechnology research and development. By letting nanoenabled drugs slip off its radar, Big Pharma might have failed to recognise the step change in performance and profitability that truly nanoenabled drugs offer. Few companies have launched truly nanoenabled drugs yet, but it is anticipated that several products will be launched on the market in the near future.The market for truly nanoenabled drugs is predicted to rise steeply after 2012, reaching potentially $220 billion by 2015.
Big Pharma has been facing diminishing returns on its research and development investment for several years and is anticipating even more substantial drops in revenue when its blockbuster drugs patents expire. It clearly needs a drastic change in its approach if it is to revitalise its product pipelines. Nanoenabled drugs could inject new life into the portfolios of pharmaceutical companies, and revitalise their pipelines. However, large strategic and technological hurdles will need to be overcome if they are to share in the growth and profits promised by nanoenabled drugs.
Major pharmaceutical companies need to incorporate targeted drug delivery into their vision
The research and development activities of Big Pharma are almost entirely focused on developing new chemical formulations with therapeutic value. Research activities to improve the delivery of these formulations to the target cells are given a lower priority or neglected completely. Only a sixth of Big Pharma companies have explicit strategies for nanoenabled drugs, and most view structurally-engineered nanoenabled drugs as something that might only become important to pharmaceutical companies within a decade or so.
Accelerate nanoenabled drug development by developing synergistic collaborations with nanotechnology companies
A plethora of nanotechnology companies are active in developing novel nanoengineered structures that could be used for targeted drug delivery. Dendrimers, carbon nanotubes and nanopolymers are all structures that have been identified as scaffolds that could traverse targeted cell walls. However, the therapeutic value of such structures relies on incorporating traditional drugs within them. For instance, the world’s first polymeric nanopharmaceutical, Abraxane, is an amalgamation of a drug discovered in 1967, grafted onto a nanoengineered polymer.
Invest in metrology to become world leaders in nanotechnology
The research and development activities of Big Pharma are almost entirely focused around high throughput screening and combinatorial chemistry methods to identify and synthesise new chemical formulations with therapeutic value. However, the research tools and techniques used to nanoengineer drugs are more closely allied with the semiconductor industry, with chemical vapour deposition, plasma arc discharge and laser irradiation routinely used to produce nano structures. Sophisticated inspection tools such as tunneling electron microscopy and ellipsometry are also required to validate how nanostructures interact with biological samples. Few Big Pharma companies can currently claim to have the materials science expertise that truly novel nanoenabled drug development requires.
Nanoenabled drugs have much to offer the pharmaceutical industry, but Big Pharma will need to embrace new strategies, cultures and skills if it is to keep abreast with the new technology. Industry and governments are working hard to help nanotechnology jump the technology adoption gap, and when successful, the next generation of medicines will provide enhanced efficacy. Profitable opportunities exist for forward-thinking pharmaceutical companies willing to implement nanotechnology-centred product development strategies.
Nanotechnology companies are already leading the way in developing these next-generation medicines to the market. How much longer can Big Pharma afford to stand on the sidelines?
To find out more about strategies for nano-enabled drug delivery, please contact us now.
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