Drug nanocrystals in the commercial pharmaceutical development process

Abstract

Nanosizing is one of the most important drug delivery platform approaches for the commercial development of poorly soluble drug molecules. The research efforts of many industrial and academic groups have resulted in various particle size reduction techniques. From an industrial point of view, the two most advanced top-down processes used at the commercial scale are wet ball milling and high pressure homogenization. Initial issues such as abrasion, long milling times and other downstream-processing challenges have been solved. With the better understanding of the biopharmaceutical aspects of poorly water-soluble drugs, the in vivo success rate for drug nanocrystals has become more apparent. The clinical effectiveness of nanocrystals is proven by the fact that there are currently six FDA approved nanocrystal products on the market. Alternative approaches such as bottom-up processes or combination technologies have also gained considerable interest. Due to the versatility of nanosizing technology at the milligram scale up to production scale, nanosuspensions are currently used at all stages of commercial drug development, Today, all major pharmaceutical companies have realized the potential of drug nanocrystals and included this universal formulation approach into their decision trees.