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Nanoparticle-based Therapeutics in Humans: A Survey
Volume 5, Issue 2
Authors:
Raj Bawa, Bawa Biotechnology Consulting LLC
Abstract:
With patent expirations on the rise, pharmaceutical companies are searching for new competitive
business strategies. This is where nanomedicine comes into play. There is enormous excitement
regarding nanomedicine’s potential impact. Drug delivery via nanoparticles presents novel therapeutic
opportunities for active agents (drugs or genes) that were previously unsuited to traditional oral or
injectable drug formulations, allowing active agents to be delivered efficaciously while minimizing side
effects and leading to better patient compliance. Specifically, nanoparticle-based therapeutics have
enormous potential in addressing the failures of traditional drugs that could not be effectively formulated
due to factors such as poor water solubility or a lack of target specificity. Although there are only a few
nanoparticle-based therapeutics on the market that have been approved by the FDA, these formulations
are already impacting medicine and promise to alter healthcare. The initial impact of nanoparticlebased
therapeutics will likely only accelerate in the coming years. However, as these products move out
of the laboratory and into the clinic, federal agencies like the FDA and the U.S. Patent and Trademark
Office continue to struggle to encourage the development of these products while imposing some sort of
order. To date, numerous nanoparticles including luminescent quantum dots, magnetic nanoparticles,
gold nanoshells, dendrimers and block copolymer micelles have been studied for drug delivery. In this
article, Dr. Raj Bawa provides a brief overview of different nanoparticle technologies with some
comments on their commercialization potential. In particular, he highlights selected nanoparticle-based
therapeutics that are undergoing clinical trials or have been approved for human use.
Full Text (PDF)
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