Pharmaceutical Technology Europe-01-01-2010

Only around 10–20% of asthma medications are delivered to the lungs because of the barrier-nature of the respiratory tract and medication loss in the inhaler during the inhalation process.

At the end of August 2009, the 6th Edition of the Handbook of Excipients appeared in print (both hard copy and interactive CD ROM).

A round up of news from across the globe.

Transdermal drug delivery is valued by patients and physicians for the comfort and convenience it offers — no needles, no pills and ease of use

Engineered nanoparticles are being increasingly investigated as a way to improve medicinal products by overcoming problems with bioavailability, stability and toxicity.

Pharmaceutical Technology Europe interviews Robert Wessman, Executive Chairman and a major shareholder of the Alvogen Group, and former CEO of generics company Actavis, on strategies for success in generics.

As a drug delivery vehicle, chewing gum enables rapid drug absorption through the oral mucosa to achieve fast onset of action and bioavailability.

As with most others, the pharmaceutical industry is entering 2010 with trepidation; will this year bring a similar number of headline grabbing announcements of mergers and acquisitions, plant closures, job cuts, restructuring, etc.

This month sees Europe make its move towards electronic submissions harmonization, but is it ready?

Pharmaceutical Technology Europe discusses some of the innovations in drug delivery that could shape the future of the pharma market.

It's customary among columnists to begin a new year with some predictions about what's to come. We don't honour that custom every year, but with what the contract services industry went through in 2009, it seemed appropriate to share thoughts on what we expect for 2010.

The free movement of goods across Europe might be beneficial for some, but for pharmaceutical companies, the parallel trade of medicines is not welcomed, and is viewed as a system that can damage patient safety and innovation

There is a pressing need to improve the storage stability of currently available vaccines, and achieving this could facilitate mass vaccination campaigns and increase vaccination coverage on a global scale — particularly to underserved and remote regions of the world.

Tumour-penetrating microparticles (TPM), drug delivery vehicles that have been designed to specifically target and infiltrate peritoneal tumours, are more efficacious than standard chemotherapy, according to our preliminary research data.