Adaptations and innovations in drug delivery

The most recent meeting organized by the Society for Medicines Research, entitled Improving Medicines Through Drug Delivery, was held at the National Heart and Lung Institute in London on July 5, 2001. Drug delivery is increasingly becoming a central technology in the research and development of better medicines. This is so for at least three reasons. First, new drugs are being derived from complex biological molecules that are not readily amenable to oral delivery. Second, improved medicine is recognized as requiring better dosing regimens for the patient. Both compliance and preference are improved by reduced dosing frequency, and it is rare for new products to require three-times-daily administration. Lastly, drug delivery technology has come a long way in the past 20 years, beyond controlled-release pharmaceuticals to polymer conjugates and dry powder-inhaled proteins.