1. Drug Delivery Trends, Challenges Cambridge Consultants Ltd
Science Park, Milton Road,
and Opportunities Cambridge, England CB4 0DW
Tel: + 44 (0)1223 420024
Fax: + 44 (0)1223 423373
www.CambridgeConsultants.com

2. Drug Delivery Trends, Challenges and Opportunities : The patients’ choice
Trends, Challenges & Opportunities
• New therapies
• New compounds
• Patents expiring (or being overturned!)
• Third world markets
• New technologies
• Better design

3. Drug Delivery Trends, Challenges and Opportunities : The patients’ choice
Drug delivery the route forwards?

4. Drug Delivery Trends, Challenges and Opportunities : Tablets
The oral drug delivery route is nearly perfect
Why? Why not?
• Simple user • Side effects
steps
• Non-specific
• Fool proof delivery site
• Discrete • Poor absorption
• Cheap • Drug release
profile
• Patient familiarity
• Slow acting

5. Drug Delivery Trends, Challenges and Opportunities : Devices
The main alternatives to tablets and capsules are devices such as
inhalers, injectors, nebulisers and infusion pumps
Why? Why not?
• Fast acting • High cost
• Targeted delivery • Training required
• Minimal side • Poor technique
effects affects treatment
• Can incorporate • Bulky
safety features
• Unfamiliar
• Product
differentiation • Patient suspicion

6. Drug Delivery Trends, Challenges and Opportunities : User steps
The challenge with many existing devices is exemplified by looking at
the patient steps involved in their use.
Tablet user steps
• Push tablet out of blister pack
• Place tablet in mouth
• Drink water
• Swallow tablet with water

7. Drug Delivery Trends, Challenges and Opportunities : Reducing user steps
Even though there are only four user steps, advances have been made
to reduce this.
Reduced tablet user steps
• Push tablet out of blister
pack
• Put tablet (or powder)
in mouth
• Swallow (or chew)

8. Drug Delivery Trends, Challenges and Opportunities : Device user steps
Drug delivery devices typically have a higher number of user steps and
a greater risk of patient or carer error
Metered dose inhaler user steps
• Remove mouthpiece cover
• Shake inhaler
• Hold inhaler upright
• Breath out
• Place inhaler in mouth
• Slowly start to breathe in
• Depress canister
• Remove inhaler from mouth
• Hold breath for a few seconds
• Replace mouthpiece cover

9. Drug Delivery Trends, Challenges and Opportunities : Convergence
This leads to two routes forward to produce more effective drug delivery
Tablets need to evolve to achieve
the benefits of devices
Devices need to be designed to achieve the
patient and clinician acceptability of tablets

10. Drug Delivery Trends, Challenges and Opportunities : Convergence
Devices need to be designed to achieve the
patient and clinician acceptability of tablets
To achieve the simplicity of tablets, devices require technology to be
implemented in appropriate designs.
It sounds simple but is rarely achieved.

11. Drug Delivery Trends, Challenges and Opportunities : Implementing technologies
Technology implementation does not have to look like this:

12. Drug Delivery Trends, Challenges and Opportunities : Implementing technologies
Iontophoretic patches offer affordable discrete drug delivery solutions
• Simple to use
• Completely discrete
• Low cost (in volume)

13. Drug Delivery Trends, Challenges and Opportunities : Implementing technologies
Smart pills and implantables

14. Drug Delivery Trends, Challenges and Opportunities : Electronic opportunities
The use of electronics opens up new possibilities in the area of drug
delivery.
• Active feedback systems
• Implantable devices
• Programmable drug release profile
• Improved ease of use
• Greater clinician and patient feedback
• Clinical trials compliance monitoring
Sounds good but will it not cost too much?

15. Drug Delivery Trends, Challenges and Opportunities : Electronic opportunities
Many are put off incorporating electronics into devices due to the
increased cost of goods.
• 10 cents can buy you a microprocessor
with more processing power than the
first lunar landing module
• Replacing mechanical components
with electronic components often
reduces cost and improves reliability
To quantify this, an electronic counter for an MDI could be designed to
cost less than 50 cents in volume

16. Drug Delivery Trends, Challenges and Opportunities : Appropriate design
Appropriate design does not necessarily look like this:

17. Drug Delivery Trends, Challenges and Opportunities : Appropriate design
Increasing useful feedback to user

18. Drug Delivery Trends, Challenges and Opportunities : Appropriate design
Improving accuracy

19. Drug Delivery Trends, Challenges and Opportunities : Appropriate design
A two-part syringe concept for the reconstitution of lyophilised drugs
• Eliminates complex patient steps
• Reduced opportunity for drug mix up
• Cost savings through
reduced drug wastage

20. Drug Delivery Trends, Challenges and Opportunities : Conclusions
• Patients prefer the oral delivery route
• Tablet technology is continually
improving to address the inherent
weaknesses in the oral route
• Devices need to embrace technological
opportunities without forgetting the end
user.
• Electronics will play an increasing role in
drug delivery as low cost, low power,
miniature electronics become fully utilised.
“Technology without design is like a bird without wings”

21. Drug Delivery Trends, Challenges and Opportunities : Conclusions
Technology or design alone do not make a successful product. Technology
needs to be implemented in an appropriate design
Concorde - only 20 manufactured Boeing 747 - over 1300 manufactured