Alternative delivery methods for biologics continues to be explored that offer less invasive, less painful administration.
Despite their track record of demonstrating significant therapeutic efficacy, biologics still face daunting challenges in their drug delivery. Biologics such as monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and some vaccines are largely administered via injection or by infusion. These methods can often be a barrier to patient compliance. Less invasive forms of biologic drug delivery are in development, particularly oral administration and inhalation routes.
The current rapid rate of new drug target discoveries, coupled with increasingly effective engineering processes and a growing knowledge and understanding of how biologics are processed in the body have resulted in a higher number of biologics in clinical development and approved for the market. However, to date, formulations of biologics have mostly been designed for the parenteral route of administration. Because of this design, many biologics have short plasma half-lives which require frequent administration. The need to use needles on a frequent basis leads to sometimes painful administration and ultimately poor patient compliance (1).
Addressing the challenges
Frank Tagliaferri, PhD, chief scientific officer at Pace® Life Sciences, emphasizes that biologics are typically larger molecules with more structural requirements as opposed to small-molecule therapeutics. The latter has long dominated the traditional oral route of delivery. Biologics also encounter more structural sensitivities that need to be overcome, Tagliaferri says.
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