Paving The Way For Tomorrow's Medicines

Before new medicines can reach the patients who need them, there is a huge amount of R&D that takes place to ensure drug safety and efficacy. From preliminary drug discovery research to drug development and progression through clinical trials, before finally reaching the market, the release of a novel therapy is the culmination of often upwards of 10 years’ hard work.

In spite of the extraordinary efforts and the significant financial investment behind every drug candidate, only a small fraction will ever make it through clinical trials - less than 10%. A major reason for this is poor solubility and bioavailability of drug candidates. More than 40 percent of new chemical entities (NCEs) developed in the pharmaceutical industry exhibit poor aqueous solubility, and this issue is compounded by a trend towards more complex, hydrophobic molecules.

There is a great need for innovative technologies that can improve the success rate for new drug candidates and pave the way for novel therapies to reach the market. Recent advances in nanoparticle engineering technology promise to accomplish precisely this.