In its report on Suzhou Natong Bionanotechnology’s microneedle technology, the Wall Street Journal hits on an interesting problem in the drug-delivery world: Is it a device or a drug? Since often the delivery technology often enters the body along with the drug, the old categories often do not work.
Another week, another series of articles and debates over whether e-cigarettes are drug delivery devices and should be regulated by the FDA. In a follow-up to last week’s report, the Wall Street Journal asks readers: “Should the devices be regulated? Have you tried them?”
Purdue University researchers have developed a new type of pump for drug-delivery patches that might use arrays of “microneedles” to deliver a wider range of medications than now possible with conventional patches. The current “transdermal” patches are limited to delivering drugs that, like nicotine, are made of small hydrophobic molecules that can be absorbed through the skin, said Babak Ziaie, a professor of electrical and computer engineering and biomedical engineering.
Continue reading ‘New Pump Created for Microneedle Drug-Delivery Patch’
A relatively recent subgroup of nanotech research is what is beginning to be commonly referred to as “nanotox,” or the study of how nanoparticles react to the environment and human body. It is a line of inquiry that directly arose out of concerns that if engineered nanoscale particles have the potential to do great things in specifically targeted way, then there might be some unintentional harm happening as well. A group of nanotox researchers at North Carolina State University looking into how nanoparticles interact with living things might have also, as a side benefit, made a discovery with applications for drug delivery.
Continue reading ‘‘Nanotox’ Research also has Implications for Nano Drug Delivery’
A leaky product development pipeline is hampering the country’s ability to ensure a steady output of new medical countermeasures, such as medications, vaccines, equipment and supplies needed for health emergencies, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said.
Continue reading ‘Feds Aim to Fortify Biodefense by Fixing Product Development Pipeline’
Drug counterfeiting has become a $200-billion business annually, according to the World Customs Organization. By some calculations, the counterfeiting trade has become more lucrative than the narcotics business. It’s a global problem. The World Health Organization estimates that counterfeit drugs make up ten percent of the drug market worldwide. And experts say that solving it–or at least stemming the tide–requires the participation of both government and industry.
Continue reading ‘Drug Counterfeiting – a $200 Billion Business’
More drugs are hitting the recall list these days. As CNN Money reports, the number of recalls hit 1,742 last year–that’s an increase of 309 percent over 2008. “We’ve seen a trend where the last four years are among the top five for the most number of drug recalls since we began tallying recalls in 1988,” says Bowman Cox, managing editor of the Gold Sheet, a trade pub that analyzes FDA data. “That’s a meaningful development.”
Pharmaceuticals promoting their products through Facebook “Shares” have been warned by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)… and they’re apparently heeding that warning. Pharmaceutical company Novartis removed it’s Facebook Share after receiving a letter from the FDA warning that the Facebook Share button it is using to promote its cancer medication, Tasigna, violates FDA requirements about disclosure of drug information, and that the information is misleading and “implies superiority over other product.”
In a bid to break out of its dependence on manufacturing and cheap labor, the Chinese government is planning to invest $1.5 billion into new drug development between 2011 and 2016. And biotechnology is one of seven emerging industries that the Asian powerhouse will use to spearhead the next big step in its economic development, according to a report in China’s 21st Century Business Herald.
The following listing is of the top U.S. generic companies based on sales from Jan-Dec 2009. In recent years, Big Pharma has begun to look beyond brand-name drugs to the generics market. With the rising costs of healthcare, governments and payers alike are pushing for increased generics usage. And Big Pharma companies like Novartis and Pfizer are paying attention, striking deals with generics companies and even building units of their own.
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