FILMS
Thin-film
drug delivery has emerged as an advanced alternative to the traditional
tablets, capsules and liquids often associated with prescription and
OTC medications.
Similar
in size, shape and thickness to a postage stamp, thin-film strips are
typically prepared using hydrophilic polymers for oral administration,
with the user placing the strip on or under the tongue or along the
inside of the cheek where saliva serves to rapidly dissolve the dosage
form.
This
drug delivery option also allows the medication to bypass the first
pass metabolism, thereby giving the medication significantly more
bioavailability than conventional tablet dosage forms. Films alleviate
the danger/fear of choking, are easy to handle and administer, have a
pleasant mouthfeel and taste and are straightforward to manufacture.
They offer the combined advantages of ease and convenience of dosing in
the absence of water, anytime, anywhere.
FAST-DISINTEGRATING TABLETS
Coming up with novel ways to deliver drugs is key to maintaining profitability.
One
approach is to use technologies such as mouth-dissolving tablets or
wafers, also known as fast melt, fast dissolving or orodispersible.
The
demand for solid dosage forms that can be dissolved/suspended in water,
chewed or rapidly dissolved in the mouth is particularly strong in the
paediatric and geriatric markets, with further application to other
patients who prefer the convenience of a readily administered dosage
form.
Testing the alternatives to traditional tablet-form medications
Oral
drug delivery represents the largest share of the pharmaceutical
market, accounting for approximately 90% of all medicines prescribed.
The
oral route remains the perfect one for the administration of
therapeutic agents, due to the general simplicity and cost-effectiveness
of the therapy, the accuracy of dosing, the avoidance of pain and the
ability to self-medicate. Whilst it is considered the most traditional
and easiest route of delivery, it is – perhaps surprisingly – not always
the most user-friendly, for a number of reasons.
With
four out of five pet owners considering their pet a member of the
family and 79% saying the quality of their pet’s food is as important as
their own, it’s not surprising that the premium sector accounts for 40%
of the $26 billion US pet food market (whilst super-premium accounted
for 10%). Globally the pet care products market is worth almost $100
billion.
Adding
excitement to a pet’s diet via flavours, gravies, look-a-like human
recipes, daypart foods (e.g. breakfast food/eggs or appetisers) is a top
driver of the best-selling new pet foods. Pet foods are also touting
more exotic meats (e.g. wild game, boar, venison, pheasant) and fillets
of fish. The majority of “pet parents” are looking for “all natural” and
“real meat” whilst eliminating grains, gluten, hormones/antibiotics and
artificial colours are other significant trends along with the
requirement for “human grade” and “indoor formulations are fast-growing
market niches.
Texture
plays a critical role in the satisfaction and acceptability of food
products. Food texture is used for enhancing the flavour and appearance
of texture-modified foods and in improving the acceptability and
enjoyment level of said food products.
The analysts forecast the global food texture market to grow at a CAGR of 5.06% by revenue over the period 2014-2019.
The report, The Global Food Texture Market 2015-2019,
has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from
various industry experts. The report includes a comprehensive
discussion on the market, an extensive coverage on various types of
production techniques, applications and demand-supply dynamics in
various geographies. The report provides comments on both the existing
market landscape and its growth prospects over the forecast period. The
report further includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in
this market.
FILMS
