Analysts predict enormous gains in the nanotechnology drug delivery market for the next three years, according to a new report. But the good news comes with a hovering rain cloud, as safety concerns regarding nanomedicines may dampen a bright future.
Market analysts at Infiniti Research predict a global nanotechnology boom through 2016, with 74% growth worldwide and almost 85% growth in the U.S. alone. Looking forward, there appears to be even more emphasis placed on personalized medicine, Infiniti asserts, representing a paradigm shift away from blockbuster drugs and toward genomic and immune-response treatments.
But the report also notes the sobering lack of regulatory oversight by the FDA when it comes to the technology, as studies have shown that nanomaterials may have toxic effects. Their ability to infiltrate cells in the human body may backfire in some cases, studies say, in patients and in the environment. But the jury is still out on their overall effects.
One of the reasons nanotechnology is expected to grow in the drug delivery market is a relatively low research and development cost, according to the report, as compared with its ability to improve the delivery of particular drugs.
- here's the release