Needle-free drug delivery methods, including patches, edible vaccines and pen injectors, will likely see a significant increase in revenues from 2011 through 2016. Healthcare market research publisher Kalorama Information estimates annual revenue growth to average 15.1 percent to reach $6.2 billion.
Initially seen as merely a medium for a drug, needle-free delivery methods are now viewed as a tool for modifying the pharmacologic properties of drugs, improving methods of delivery and targeting drugs to specific locations, New York City-based Kalorama said in its recent report, “Needle-Free Drug Delivery: The Market for Alternatives to Needle-Based Systems for Vaccines and Biologics.”
Progress in the fields of microencapulation, polymer technology and nanoparticles now allow scientists to prolong the effect of drugs with short half-lives, and companies are developing a new generation of sophisticated delivery systems, the report says.
"The line between drug delivery and drug substance will become increasingly elusive in the near future, as researchers work to improve drug properties through drug design and molecular modeling," noted Bruce Carlson, Kalorama Information's publisher. "In the next decade, drug delivery technologies will be a focal point of competition and the success of specific drugs will be tied to innovative delivery techniques, which will enable the targeting that will exploit the clinical properties of a new generation of drugs."
Carlson also thinks the upcoming patent expiries of some on the world’s bestselling drugs is spurring growth in the needle-free drug delivery sector.
“Large pharmaceutical companies have realized that they can substantially extend the period of exclusivity and the competitive edge of their products that are about to lose patent expiration by delivering them in a novel way. This leads to a competitive edge after patent expiration or patent extension. Patent issues are a major driver of the industry,” said Carlson.
One possible holdback for growth in the needle-free drug delivery market is price. “A challenge we discuss in the report is cost. They (needle free systems) have to be sold against conventional needle and syringe systems, which are at least in low volumes cheaper,” said Carlson. “In high volumes, needle-free systems prove their worth.”