A new year is often reason to reflect on what has occurred and to consider what the future may hold. And for 2012, Pharmaceutical Technology is doing just that. Next year will mark Pharmaceutical Technology’s 35th anniversary, and as part of a special issue to be published in July 2012, we are seeking to gain your input on what you feel have been the most noteworthy achievements in the pharmaceutical sciences and manufacturing and what future developments may shape the industry. Read more »

Improving drug delivery is an important consideration in new drug development and in managing the product life cycle of existing drugs. Delivery mechanisms that can improve patient compliance, facilitate administration, and target delivery of an active are crucial goals. Drugs that are delivered topically provide an opportunity to realize these objectives, and an upcoming webcast on Dec. 7th by Pharmaceutical Technology gains insight from leading industry experts on how to optimize topical drug formulations and manufacturing. Read more »

Topical drugs are an important sector in the pharmaceutical market, particularly as pharmaceutical companies seek innovative ways to improve drug delivery and patient compliance. An upcoming webcast on Dec. 7th by Pharmaceutical Technology gains insight from leading industry experts on how to optimize topical drug formulations and manufacturing. Read more »

For those who are needle-shy, or who have ever had the pleasure of explaining to a hysterical 5-year old that the shot isn’t going to hurt THAT much, and besides, it’s for the good of public health, a needle-free shot sounds like a great idea.  FDA, however, disagreed, and issued a communication to that effect. Read more »

A few weeks ago, Representative Michele Bachmann (R-MN) made waves by claiming that the vaccine for human papillomavirus could have dangerous side effects. She retreated from her remarks after the American Academy of Pediatrics said that they had no scientific validity. Makers of biopharmaceuticals might feel vindicated, but a recent poll emphasizes that Bachmann is not alone in her views. Read more »

Every now and then, media headlines become excited by a new potential ‘cure’ for cancer. Usually, this excitement stems from the results of very early research, which often involves a vegetable. Tomatoes, broccoli, cabbage, sprouts and beetroot have all had their turn in the spotlight over the years. Read more »

The patent cliff is beginning to reduce Big Pharma’s sales figures as generic versions of branded drugs enter the market. Although FDA has remarked that pharmaceutical innovation is beginning to increase, not all companies are going to be able to market enough new drugs to make up for lost sales. So how will these vulnerable companies maintain their profits? Read more »

A dosage form that delivers several drugs, either at once or in succession, can have many benefits for patients. The administered drugs could have synergistic effects when delivered together, and the convenient dosage form could improve patient compliance. And, of course, reformulating several drugs for codelivery could help breathe new life into a company’s patents. All of these advantages came to mind when I learned about a multiple-compartment gel capsule developed at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Read more »

Attendant to the pharmaceutical industry’s intensification in biopharmaceutical product development is the need for more effective delivery systems for large molecules. Oral administration, the widely used and common method for small-molecule drug delivery, is not a viable option for biologic-based drugs, so how can parenteral drug delivery be improved to make it easier to administer and potentially more patient- friendly? One approach, intradermal microinjection, recently took a step forward with FDA approval of an influenza vaccine delivered via this method. Read more »

Deaths from unintentional overdoses of prescription drugs have reached epidemic proportions in the US, outnumbering deaths from motor vehicle crashes or suicides in 20 states. Approximately 27,500 people died from unintentional drug overdoses in 2007, driven to a large extent by prescription opioid overdoses. This is according to a press release from the University of North Carolina (UNC), referring to a publication in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry describing the phenomenon, and offering advice to prescribers on how to deal with it.

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