Rational Design & Development Of Long-Acting Injectable Dosage Forms

By Jim Huang, PhD, Founder & CEO, Ascendia Pharmaceuticals

Due to the advantages of parenteral sustained-release drug delivery (also known as long-acting injectables, LAIs), such as reduced toxicity, longer body half-life, reduced dosing frequency, enhanced patient compliance, and overall reduction of medical care cost, different types of sustained-release injectable delivery systems have been introduced to markets, including injectable drug crystal suspensions, liposomes, polymeric microspheres, polymeric in situ gel systems, oil-based injections, implants, etc. The increasing prevalence of chronic disorders, such as schizophrenia, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer, growing demand for self-administration and home healthcare, increasing focus on pediatric and geriatric patients, and the increasing demand for minimally invasive surgeries, have further fueled the growth of the LAI drug delivery market.