What's happening?

There is a growing interest among drug developers and manufacturers in the use of modified release (MR) oral dosage forms. MR formulations offer formulation scientists and patients many advantages, such as improved efficacy, increased convenience and optimised performance.

Källsten, M., Pijnappel, M., Hartmann, R. , Lehmann, F., Kovac, L., Bergström Lind, S.  and Bergquist, J Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry (2019)

The United Kingdom (UK) will leave the European Union (EU) on 29th March 2019. The steps and measures pharmaceutical firms take at this stage will be critical to post-Brexit preparedness, failure to take action could ultimately impact the supply of medicines and patient safety.

The uncertainties surrounding Brexit and the impact it will have on the new EU FMD regulation and wider pharmaceutical industry are growing as the UK’s deadline for leaving the EU draws closer. The UK will have to legally comply with the EU FMD until the 29th March, however insight into what will happen after this date remains limited.

Geriatrics represent the most important patient population to consider for patient-centric dosage forms.

Companies striving to become compliant with the FMD must consider a wide range of factors. From selecting the right hardware and software, to training staff and ensuring that their packing lines will not be disrupted, there is a lot to put in place.

It is now unlikely that all companies will achieve compliance on time without halting production.

The Falsified Medicines Directive (FMD) came into effect on Saturday 9th February 2019, with the aim of enhancing the security of manufacturing and delivering medicines released to the European market. To this end, pharmaceutical manufacturers are now obligated to implement specific measures across packaging lines in order to comply with new data and reporting requirements.

Drug products that can be administered through inhalation offer many benefits. While other dosage forms, such as oral solids, are currently more common, inhaled formulations offer direct access to the central nervous system, bypassing the digestive system and liver.

The service sector’s increased growth can be attributed mainly to the fast pace of advancements in research.

The United States of America is facing a hugely concerning opioid addiction epidemic, causing roughly 46 deaths per day according to the US Centres for Disease Control.