Drug Delivery

From futuristic promises first referenced by Ehrlich at the turn of the 20th century and later Ringsdorf in the 1970s, to lifecycle management tools in the 2000s, to sophisticated technologies supported by increasingly rigorous research in the 2010s, drug delivery has become an ubiquitous component of pharmaceutical development.  As new chemical entities become increasingly water insoluble, which results in poor and/or erratic bioavailability, the use of some form of enabling technology early on in the process is unavoidable.

In oral delivery, while particle size reduction through micronization is a basic preformulation technique, particle engineering through amorphous spray dried dispersions or digestion-harnessing lipid based formulation to, say, increase bioavailability have become everyday tools to progress drugs from feasibility to Proof-of-Concept, and beyond.

However, accurately matching problem statement to the right technology is not an easy task, as scientists tend to gravitate towards techniques they are familiar with,  often ending in repeat loops of trial-and-error, wasting precious time and drug substance.

Alternatively, several options may be tried at once, which often ends up wasting even more drug substance, while unnecessarily increasing expenditure - not always an attractive premise at a time when cash burning is high.

As far as entrusting decision making to an "agnostic" third party vendor, objective technology selection is often touted, but seldom truly enforced, as services providers (or sites within their networks) tend to push the one platform they know best.

Working with an independent thinker gives you a cutting edge and gets you ahead of the game by conducting a data driven due diligence process prior to even speaking to a services provider, a subject matter expert or even academia depending of what type of research or development is needed, and at what stage.

Positioning a new drug delivery technology has always been a challenge for innovative companies as understanding, researching, backing and, critically, articulating the intricacies behind the science are key to generating trust and building credibility with early adopters. Connections matter too, in particular when attempting to enter uncharted territories.

Relying on technical expertise and business experience to truly embrace an offer, formulate and articulate meaningful value propositions and maximise outreach can save you precious time in your go-to-market strategy.