Expert opinion on drug delivery
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A decade ago it was widely anticipated that cystic fibrosis would be one of the first diseases to be treated by gene therapy. The difficult hurdle of cloning the responsible gene had been accomplished, its function was established and the lung appeared readily accessible for gene replacement. ⋯ An increased understanding of vector biology and host interaction has led to the development of novel strategies to enhance the efficiency and selectivity of gene delivery to the lung. Although significant challenges remain, there is now a realistic prospect of a clinically effective treatment in the next 10 years.
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Expert Opin Drug Deliv · Jan 2005
Review Comparative StudyPropellant-driven metered-dose inhalers for pulmonary drug delivery.
The current market for pulmonary drug delivery is at a bottleneck. The therapeutic advantages of inhalation aerosols, and the potential for the lungs as a route for systemically acting drugs, vaccines and gene therapeutic agents, have resulted in a rapid growth of the industry. Alongside this, the environment of inhaler design and formulation has changed markedly in recent years. ⋯ It is proposed that the future role of pMDIs will be determined by several important forces that can be classified under 'technology development' or 'market climate' categories. Technology development forces will be strengthened by the ability of the industry to have a systematic understanding of mechanisms of spray formation, perform subsequent and continued device and formulation advances, and a focus on all patient groups: particularly paediatric and geriatric populations. The ability to succeed in these areas will be largely determined by the willingness to invest in fundamental research of pMDI technologies.