Analysis by Kilne & Co revealed that 80% of drugs in development are poorly soluble according to the biopharmaceutical classification scheme (BCS) and that this is likely to help the market for solubility enhancement excipients grown 13% through to 2014.
A number of excipient technologies are Lead author Nikola Matic, who told us “It is hard to rank techniques themselves because they are used in very different cases. Use of lipid-based systems and solid dispersion are currently very popular and among preferred routes.
He added that: “The main selection criteria are suitability of the technique for the considered API, in-house expertise in the technique and cost.”
Currently 70% of the solubility enhancement excipient market is held by five major suppliers with BASF, Abitec and Gattefossé being the biggest players Matic said, explaining that this dominance is based on size of portfolio and ability to provide technical support.
However, there is still room for smaller suppliers to grow according to Matic, who said: “Opportunity for others is mainly coming for the growth of the market itself” adding that “there is still space to cover.”