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Because
drug molecules must be water soluble to be readily delivered to the
cellular membrane while retaining their hydrophobic properties, issues
surrounding drug solubility and water insolubility of active compounds
have important business and market implications for new drug
development. This impact extends beyond potential future drug
therapeutics, affecting current reformulation strategies as well. As
large-molecule therapeutics increase in number and as a percentage of
all drug discoveries, the economic scales will tip in favor of those
drug developers possessing the ability to engineer water-soluble
formulations of inherently hydrophobic compounds. The importance
of drug solubilization technologies is also underscored by the
capability they bestow on formulators attempting to re-formulate
approved drugs approaching the end of their patent life. The survey
covers close to a dozen drug solubility technologies and processes,
including particle engineering, supercritical fluid processing,
liposomes, modified sugars and starches, nanoparticles, and micelle
structures.
Publication: March 2007 |
