Transdermal patch delivery technologies will create new blockbuster drugs, says report
Drug delivery via transdermal patches will lead to US$6bn in new annual sales within the next 10 years
Transdermal delivery of drugs is poised for a renaissance with sales of patch-delivered drugs and vaccines jumping by up to US$6bn within the next 10 years, according to Lux Research, a Boston, US-headquartered independent research and advisory company.
The transdermal patch has long promised convenient, low-cost, controlled drug delivery. Yet after three decades it remains relegated to niche markets, with only 16 drugs on the market. But now 81 active clinical trials – ranging from applications in vaccines, drug delivery and biofeedback loops – are ongoing.
'A unique strength of transdermal patch delivery is the ability to deliver constant regulated levels of active pharmaceutical ingredient for the treatment of chronic conditions,' said Kevin Pang, Lux Research Director and the leading author of the report, Skin in the Game: The Coming Rise of Transdermals.
He added that neurological diseases and conditions such as Parkinson's disease, depression, and pain are amenable to this approach, avoiding the typical peak and trough phenomena observed with conventional tablets.
A unique strength of transdermal patch delivery is the ability to deliver constant regulated levels of active pharmaceutical ingredient
Lux Research analysts studied potential opportunities for the new generation of transdermal drug delivery systems. They expect growing numbers of older populations to drive the use of more powerful transdermal patches owing to their requirement for greater convenience, control and safety of drugs as they manage multiple chronic conditions.
They also forecast that by 2020 UCB's new rotigotine patch for Parkinson's disease will have sales of approximately $500m in the US and EU, driven by its ease of use and a superior drug-dosing profile.
Nupathe's Zyetia's sumatriptan patch for chronic migraines is expected to reach blockbuster status and reach annual sales in the EU and US of more than $1bn by 2020. It is said to represent a big improvement over current technologies, incorporating iontophoresis to drive actives into the bloodstream more effectively and uniformly.
