Extended Release Injectable Drugs

Chronic conditions require drug administration over long periods of time, placing a greater emphasis on self-administration. With the shift away from caregiver interaction, drug safety and compliance/adherence become prominent concerns. These concerns, which are not new, are becoming magnified as the number of powerful new drugs reaching the market increases. 

For healthcare managers and public health officials, one way to address these issues is less frequent dosing. Using formulation technologies designed to modulate the effect of therapeutic substances, drug developers are creating formulations that exhibit extended-release profiles. 

These chemistries include polymers such as polyethylene glycol-complexed (PEGylated), which are used to produce APIs. The goal is to address the requirement for patient-dependent, and therefore compliance-sensitive, drug treatment protocols such as multiple dosing through controlled release formulations that provide the desired therapeutic effect with dosing of once-a-day or less.