Introduction to TDDS:
The global Transdermal Drug Delivery Systems Market is expected to register a healthy CAGR over the forecast period. The market held a market value of USD 5,400.2 Million in 2017 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 4.6% during the forecast period from 2018 to 2023.
The human skin is the largest organ of the human body. The skin covers a surface of nearly two square meters and receives nearly one-third of the blood in the body. Delivering drugs to the body through the skin has proved to be one of the most effective means of drug delivery besides oral delivery of drugs and therefore has received greater attention from the pharmaceutical industry due to increasing demand for controlled drug delivery. Skin is one of the most readily accessible organs of the human body. There is considerable interest in the skin as a site of drug application both for local and systemic effect, a factor that has added considerable interest to the transdermal drug delivery systems market.
One of the limitations to the growth of the Transdermal Drug Delivery Systems Market is the fact that it poses a considerable barrier to drug penetration. However pharmaceutical companies are working at developing novel drug formulations that can enhance skin penetration which would help to improve bioavailability and increase the range of drugs that can use transdermal delivery as a viable option. Nicotine patches are one of the most types of transdermal drug delivery systems and very widely used by the public in general. Between 1979 and 2002, a new patch was approved on average every 2.2 years. Between 2003–2007, that rate has more than tripled to a new transdermal delivery system every 7.5 months. It is estimated that more than one billion transdermal patches are currently manufactured each year thus indicating expansive growth rate for the transdermal drug delivery systems market which amassed nearly USD 5,400.2 million in 2017.
Benefits of TDDS:
The transdermal drug delivery systems market has been expanding due to various advantages of transdermal delivery circumventing the liver which can often prematurely metabolize drugs. Unlike hypodermic injections, transdermal deliveries are not painful, do not generate dangerous medical waste and are great for avoiding the risk of disease transmission by needle re-use which often a considerable risk factor in countries with impoverished healthcare facilities. Transdermal systems are non-invasive and can be self-administered, can provide release for long periods and have been known to improve patient compliance being generally inexpensive.
The limited number of drug available that can be transdermally administered is possibly one of the greatest challenges for the transdermal drug delivery systems market. This is because current delivery methods can only enable transdermal drugs that have molecular masses only up to a few hundred Daltons and require doses of milligrams per day or less. Therefore, transdermal delivery of peptides and macromolecules, hydrophilic drugs and novel genetic treatment that employ the use of DNA or small-interfering RNA are yet to be delivered through transdermal methods. Increasing investment in the transdermal drug delivery systems industry and tireless R&D that are aimed at enhancement of the delivery systems are expected to help in surpassing some of the problems faced by the industry at present.
New Area of Growth – Vaccine Shots:
Vaccines is yet another area of interest for transdermal drug delivery systems market. It is argued that transdermal vaccine delivery could improve immune responses by targeting delivery to immunogenic Langerhans cells in the skin. Since most vaccines are administered to children, it is also beneficial for them if they can avoid the painful administration of vaccines through hypodermic needles. Researchers are of the opinion that since transdermal drug delivery systems are externally placed it is possible for patients to have greater control over patches by developing pulsatile delivery, which could involve feedback control. For instance, the administration of fentanyl, which is a pain relieving opioid though an analgesic patch modulated by electricity is widely used in the United States and Europe.
Researchers involved in the development of transdermal drug delivery systems point out that the advantage of enhancing the functionality of such systems can be extended to extracting molecules through the skin as well. The process has already been put to use in glucose monitoring by extracting interstitial fluid using electrical means. The various advantages of transdermal delivery are strengthening the case for transdermal drug delivery systems market which is expected to register a CAGR of 4.6% over 2018-2023.