2009-11-09 19:32:00 - Greystone Associates Analyzes Recent Developments and Their Impact on the Market for Inhaled Therapeutics

(Amherst, NH) – Despite impressive improvements in technology, drug formulation engineering, and device reliability, the market for inhaled drugs continues to be dominated by therapies targeting the upper respiratory tract (URT). This family of disease indications, which includes asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and allergic rhinitis, accounted for more than 96 percent of all inhaled drug shipments in 2008.

The appearance of several innovative technology companies in the late 1990’s, focused on developing inhaler platforms and formulations capable of delivering drugs to the lower lung for systemic absorption, held the promise of a new market for drug inhalation - one that could eventually rival URT in terms of market size.

“In the first half of the decade, the flagship application and universal hope for transitioning systemic inhalation into a mainstream drug delivery market became inhaled insulin,” explains George Perros, Greystone Associates Managing Director. “While the market failure of Exubera and eventual withdrawal of all but one serious inhaled insulin competitor was a major setback, the industry has continued to move forward with new disease targets and indications, and as a result is positioned for strong double-digit growth over the next four years.”

More than forty drugs formulated for systemic delivery by inhalation are currently in development for two dozen distinct diseases and conditions. The majority are small molecule APIs that avoid several of the technological and physiological risk factors associated with delivering biological drugs.

More information on these events and trends is available in a recently-published report researched and written by Greystone Associates. Delivering Drugs by Inhalation: Evolving Therapeutics, Emerging Opportunities contains analysis of current inhaled drug market segments, assessments of development-stage product candidates in more than two dozen disease segments, market data, forecasts and company profiles.

More information is available at www.greystoneassociates.org .

About Greystone

Greystone Associates is a medical technology consulting firm focused on the areas of medical market strategy, product commercialization, venture development, and market research. We assist medical and healthcare market participants in achieving their business objectives through the creation of detailed development strategies, product commercialization programs, and comprehensive market and technology research and analysis. Our market research publications are designed, researched and written to provide timely and insightful information and data on focused market segments, with the aim of providing market participants with the essential knowledge to refine and execute their marketing plans and financial targets.

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Source: Greystone Associates