Pharmaceutical Domain Research Articles

Patent disclosure and R&D competition in pharmaceuticals

The prominent role played by patents within the pharmaceutical domain is unquestionable. In this paper, we focus on a relatively neglected implication of patents: the effect of patent-induced information disclosure on the dynamics of R&D and market competition. The study builds upon the combination of two large datasets, linking the information about patents to firm-level data on R&D projects and their outcome. Two case studies in the fields of anti-inflammatory compounds and cancer research complement our analysis. We argue that patent disclosure induces R&D competition and shapes firms’ technological trajectories. In fact, we show that under conditions of uncertainty, patent disclosure can contribute to generate knowledge spillovers, promoting multiple parallel research efforts on plausible targets and stimulating private investment and competition.

Impact of static pressure and volumetric energy input on the microstructure of food foam whipped in a rotor–stator device

The variety in foamed products found in the food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical domain has been steadily growing for years. Related research in the field of process engineering is directed at optimizing foam microstructure since mean bubble size and size distribution strongly influence the texture and stability of the product. Within this study, a model system containing milk protein as foaming agent and guar gum as thickener was foamed on a rotor–stator gas dispersing device. A wide range in gas volume fraction was achieved (0.2 ⩽ ϕ v ⩽ 0.9) and the resulting foam microstructure analyzed. The work focuses on the impact of static pressure, volumetric energy input and gas volume fraction on the resulting foam microstructure. The static pressure applied during the whipping process was shown to have a governing impact on foam microstructure. The dispersing characteristics revealed a minimum mean bubble size found for increasing volumetric input. The gas volume fraction had no impact on the mean bubble size in a lower range (0 < ϕ ⩽ 0.65), while a steady, linear increase in mean bubble diameter with increasing gas volume fraction was found in a higher range ( ϕ v > 0.65).

Nanotechnology and its role in the management of periodontal diseases

With the unstoppable trend of an increasing agingpopulation in both the developing and developedcountries, scientists in the field of regenerativemedicine and tissue engineering are continuallylooking for new ways to apply the principles of celltransplantation, materials science, and bioengineer-ing to construct biological substitutes that will restoreand maintain normal function in diseased andinjured tissues (2). In addition, the development ofmore refined means of delivering medications attherapeutic levels to specific sites is an importantclinical issue. Applications of such technology indentistry, and periodontics in particular, are noexception as periodontal destruction can be found toincrease in prevalence with increasing age (42, 52).The traditional clinical procedures of scaling, rootplanning and periodontal flap surgery, if followed byan adequate postoperative supportive periodontalcare, results, in most cases, in successful manage-ment of progressive periodontal diseases (27, 62, 65).More recently, the regenerative treatment of perio-dontal defects with an agent, or procedure, hasattracted enormous interest from materials scientistsand also from both private companies and govern-ment organizations because of its considerable eco-nomic potential (4, 43) and scientific significance.One of the emerging areas is tissue engineering thatseekstodeveloptechniquesandmaterialstoaidintheformation of new tissues to replace damaged tissues(4). Guided tissue engineering has been successfullyused in the treatment intrabony defects (14) and fur-cationdefects(45,65).Amoregeneralreview oftissueengineering concepts in terms of periodontal regen-eration has been carried out by Bartold et al. (4).The necessary strategies for complete regenerationof human tissues should be the ultimate endpoint forthe field of regenerative medicine and engineering.However, for many tissues this goal remains elusive(74). Nonetheless, there has been significant progressmade in recent years with the development andintroduction of various metallic and polymericmaterials structured in nanoscales (17, 46, 75, 84) andthe development of many biomaterials that formideal interfaces with tissues (7, 84). Using naturalprocesses as a guide, substantial advances have beenmade at the interface of nanomaterials and biology,including the fabrication of nanofiber materials forthree-dimensional cell culture and tissue engineering(84). One example of such applications in the man-agement of periodontal diseases is the evaluation oftwo typical cellular components of a hard ⁄ soft tissueinterface such as the periodontal ligament ⁄ mandibleand patellar tendon ⁄ tibia (7). Tissue engineering ofsuch complex interfaces requires a contiguous scaf-fold system with at least two cell types associatedwith the engineering of both hard and soft connectivetissues.In the pharmaceutical domain, liposomes andpolymer-based micro- and nanoparticles are thesubject of current intense research and development(72). In addition, metallic particles, which were firstintroduced in the first half of the 1980s, are nowexperiencing a renaissance. A very new generation ofbiosensors based on the optical properties of col-loidal gold nanocrystals and nanoparticles is readyto be implemented in diagnosis and medical ima-ging (72) as well as tagging DNA sandwich assays(19, 57). Concerning therapeutic applications, thepotential of metallic and polymeric nanoparticles tohelp fulfill the need for timely and accurate con-trolled release of drugs can be explored by syn-thesizing materials of tailor-designed structures,such as hybrid hollow spheres (9) and core-shellstructures (11).

Metallic Colloid Nanotechnology, Applications in Diagnosis and Therapeutics

In recent years the fields of medicine and biology assist to an ever-growing innovation related to the development of nanotechnologies. In the pharmaceutical domain, for example, liposomes, polymer based micro and nanoparticles have been subjects of intense research and development during the last three decades. In this scenario metallic particles, which use was already suggested in the first half of the '80, are now experiencing a real renaissance. In the field of diagnosis, magnetic resonance imaging is one of the first and up to now the most developed application of metallic particles. But beside this application, a very new generation of biosensors based on the optical properties of colloidal gold and fluorescent nanocrystals, called quantum dots seems to be ready to be implemented in diagnosis and medical imaging. Concerning therapeutic applications, the potentialities of metal nanoparticles to help fulfilling the need of time and space controlled release of drugs has been intuited for a long time. Nowadays, magnetically guided carriers or thermal responsive matrices, in which drug release is triggered by the heating of metal nanoparticles, are effective examples of their application in drug delivery, while more recently efforts to develop metallic nanoobjects to be used as vectors of nucleic acids for vaccination and transfection have been multiplied. In the future, one of the most interesting challenges is certainly the use of metallic nanoparticles for an innovating, effective and selective physical treatment of solid tumors via targeted intracellular hyperthermia.

Development of Rapid Analytical Methods in the Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Analytical Chemistry (LCAP)

The use of rapid and ultra-rapid analytical methods in the pharmaceutical domain is mandatory in the drug discovery, drug development, and quality control steps. Liquid chromatography (LC) and capillary electrophoresis (CE) are therefore particularly studied in the Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Analytical Chemistry (LCAP) to perform fast and ultra-fast analyses of drugs present in different matrices. Due to its sensitivity and selectivity, mass spectrometry (MS) is considered today as the gold standard in pharmaceutical analysis and has been generally used as the detector of choice for performing rapid analyses. This article gives a survey of the applied strategies achieved in the LCAP for the last five years such as: use of new chromatographic supports and small columns in LC; development of column switching techniques with extraction supports compatible with the direct injection of biological matrices; use of immobilized enzyme reactors for rapid protein digestion; enhancement of electrophoretic mobility and development of different injection procedures in CE.

Pharmaceuticals in Australia: developments in regulation and governance

The pharmaceutical domain represents a type of internationalised policy network theorised in recent writings on neo-liberalism, neo-corporatism and governance. This article presents an analysis of developments in prescription drug regulation in Australia. A relatively stable, state-managed pattern of interaction has been superseded by less closed exchange, and the government itself has fragmented into agencies pursuing different objectives. Developments in the three core regulatory areas are described: safety and efficacy controls, social policy (access and equity), and state support for industry (economic) development. Consensus-building occurs within the context of the National Medicines Policy. The pharmaceutical industry, represented by Medicines Australia, has a stake in all aspects of pharmaceutical policy and regulation, and draws upon unique resources (expertise and lobbying capacity). The context for the developments described is Australia's abandonment of a protectionist version of the Keynesian welfare national state in favour of the model of the competition state, which is oriented towards support for the growth of high technology industries such as pharmaceuticals, premised on partnerships with business.