Lost in translation: What is stopping inhaled nanomedicines from realizing their potential?

摘要

In 2007, inhaled nanomedicines were referred to as an 'untapped opportunity' [1] and an 'open field for inventions and new products' [2], In the current article, we ask why this potential has yet to be realized. It is not that nanomedicines themselves have failed to emerge [3]. There are 44 marketed products with nano-enhanced delivery, including 18 marketed nanopharmaceuticals and other products for imaging and diagnostic applications. Furthermore, there are more than 70 nanomedical products under clinical trials. In 2013, Bind Therapeutics Inc., a small biotechnology company that makes nanoparticles that promise to deliver drugs more efficiently to where they are needed in the body, confirmed three deals with major drug firms - Amgen, Pfizer and AstraZeneca - which could net US$1 billion.