The burden of disease cancer puts on society is huge. In 2000 it was estimated that over 10 million people were diagnosed with cancer worldwide and global incidence is expected to grow to 15 million by 2020. It is the second leading cause of death in the US and results in overall costs of more than US$210 billion annually.

Whilst significant advances have been made in the treatment of many cancer subtypes, the therapies currently available often require regular visits to the hospital or clinic to receive radioactive therapy or intravenous chemotherapy. These are highly toxic, may lead to drug resistance and are poorly tolerated due to limited-tumour specificity leading to many unwanted side effects and poor compliance.

As the pharmaceutical industry continues to find innovative ways to treat cancer, drug delivery specialists have the task of making sure those treatments reach the correct site in the body in the required quantities and at the right time.

The Holy Grail in delivering cancer therapies is the development of a technology platform which targets the therapy only to the tumour, leaving normal cells undamaged. In an ideal world, orally active targeted therapies would be available. With this report you can…

Gain an in-depth understanding of the technology for active & passive targeting platforms, including injectable & oral systems

Assess the options available for delivering anticancer compounds now & in the future

Gauge the current & future technology requirements of pharma & biotech companies developing oncology products

Analyse how the market is evolving & the influence that drug delivery may have on pharma oncology pipelines

Identify key pharma & delivery companies focusing on the improved delivery of existing & novel anticancer agents

Review alliances between delivery companies & pharma, and recent market activity. MEETING THE CHALLENGE
Drug delivery technology is critical to realising better patient outcomes and commercial return on cancer therapies. The benefits of novel drug delivery technology will be seen in key areas which are currently problematic.

Treatment-related systemic toxicities
Most chemotherapy agents are highly toxic and have limited-tumour specificity. This results in a relatively narrow therapeutic window where the maximum tolerated dose is limited by dose dependent toxicity. Many drug delivery technologies are now being evaluated that alter the biodistribution of therapeutic agents towards tumour cells and away from healthy organs which are responsible for side-effects.

Lack of target specificity
Many current therapies are administered into the bloodstream and rely on the leaky vasculature of tumour tissue to accumulate the drug within the cancer. Meanwhile the circulating drug may be metabolised thus reducing the payload of the drug to the diseased tissue or causing damage to healthy cells. New drug delivery technologies are being designed that specifically target cancer cells, leading to an increase in drug cell loading and enhanced efficacy.

Poor solubility
It has been reported that more than 40% of anticancer drugs being developed show aqueous solubility problems. Historically drug delivery specialists have developed a cocktail of emulsifiers and solvents to improve solubility but these agents have been associated with their own peripheral side-effects. Drug delivery companies are now working on a new generation of delivery agents that circumvent the need for solvents and pre-medication.

Development of drug resistance
One of the main causes of treatment failure in cancer is the development of drug resistance by the cancer cells. This may lead to recurrence or even death. Drug resistance may evolve during the course of treatment as the cancer progresses and is often associated with a group of membrane proteins or ATP Binding Cassette (ABC) proteins. Several drug delivery technologies have been developed that avoid the ABC pathway and may lead to enhanced efficacy.
This report answers key business questions

How will drug delivery technology change the cancer arena in the next decade and beyond?

When are products using key delivery technologies likely to come to market?

Who are the winners and losers in each technology group?

Where are the market opportunities now and in the future?

What will the cancer drug delivery market value be in 2012, 2015 and 2020?

What advantages do dendrimer nanotechnology bring to drug targeting and in which areas?

Which companies have licenced Seattle Genetic's novel antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) technology?

THIS REPORT PROVIDES REAL INSIGHTS…
For executives working in industry and commerce, the need to understand the issues, players and products in this sector of high growth potential is essential. That is why Espicom is making this report available, published by UK pharma consultancy PharmaVision.

Drug Delivery Technology: Revolutionizing Cancer Therapies (published June 2007) summarises some of the latest developments in cancer drug development and analyses some of the most promising solutions which drug delivery companies are providing in order to address this unmet clinical need. Packed with facts, statistics and case studies, the report is the most comprehensive study on this sector of great clinical and commercial potential.