15. Pharmaceutical Applications

A large number of already existing drugs suffer from poor water solubility, burst release and unfavorable side effects due to un-targeted delivery. Implantation of nanotechnology in the drug industry allows overcoming these problems and introducing drugs with enhanced water solubility, sustained release and targeted delivery to the diseased site. Moreover, nanotechnology allows reformulation of several hundred billion dollars of unused drugs instead of spending billions of dollars in formulating new drugs. Currently, several nano-based drug formulations have made their way into the market. Science push, observed side effects of the original product and developing better formulations are among the major drivers behind developing nano-based drugs. Meanwhile, safety concerns, regulatory approvals and required expertise and infrastructure are among the major barriers against the introduction of new nano-based drug formulations.