Active Transdermal Systems Enabling New Drug Therapies; New Survey by Greystone Associates Reveals Key Factors and Potential.Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers AMHERST, N.H.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 22, 2004 Because of its ability to improve patient compliance, transdermal transdermal /trans·der·mal/ (-der´m'l) entering through the dermis, or skin, as in administration of a drug via ointment or patch. trans·der·mal adj. Through or by way of the skin. drug delivery continues to grow as an alternative to oral and invasive dosage forms A dosage form is the physical form of a dose of medication, such as a capsule or injection. The route of administration is dependent on the dosage form of a given drug. , particularly for the treatment of chronic conditions. But future growth of transdermal patches transdermal patch: see skin patch. will be restricted by the need to limit candidate drugs to molecules small enough to effectively pass through the stratum corneum stratum cor·ne·um n. The horny outer layer of the epidermis, consisting of several layers of flat, keratinized, nonnucleated, dead or peeling cells. Also called corneal layer, horny layer. , a limitation that excludes passive transdermal patches as a viable option for the growing number of protein and peptide therapeutic compounds that will represent an increasing share of future drug therapies. To expand the limits of transdermal drug delivery, developers are employing energy sources such as ultrasound, heat and electrical current to affect active transport through the skin. Another approach is the modification or removal of surface skin layers, a group of technologies collectively referred to as microporation, which can be used alone or in conjunction with energy-enabled active transport to expand the size and type of drug molecules capable of transdermal delivery. These techniques can increase the upper molecular size limit dramatically, opening up a host of opportunities for transdermal delivery. "Large molecule therapeutics for chronic conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis rheumatoid arthritis Chronic, progressive autoimmune disease causing connective-tissue inflammation, mostly in synovial joints. It can occur at any age, is more common in women, and has an unpredictable course. , hormone deficiency, and chronic pain will be a major growth engine for the medical sector," explains George Perros, Greystone Managing Director. "Evolving active transdermal systems will be well-positioned to address a significant segment of the large molecule biological drugs expected to emerge from the convergence of biotechnology, automated drug discovery and genome mapping." More information is available at www.greystoneassociates.org . About Greystone Greystone Associates is a medical and healthcare technology consulting firm Noun 1. consulting firm - a firm of experts providing professional advice to an organization for a fee consulting company business firm, firm, house - the members of a business organization that owns or operates one or more establishments; "he worked for a providing services in strategic planning Strategic planning is an organization's process of defining its strategy, or direction, and making decisions on allocating its resources to pursue this strategy, including its capital and people. , venture development, product commercialization, and technology and market assessment. |
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