As the largest sector within the total drug delivery arena, the oral drug delivery market – made up of both pharmaceuticals utilizing oral delivery technologies as well as the technologies themselves – is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 10% over the next several years reaching upwards of $52 billion by 2010, according to a new study published by Kalorama Information, a leading life sciences market research firm.

Drug Delivery Markets, Vol. 1: Oral Delivery shows 2006 world revenues at the manufacturer’s level exceeding $35 billion for the overall oral drug delivery market with more than $3 billion coming from the delivery technology sector alone. The largest contributors to the overall market were the controlled/sustained-release segment and the delayed-release segment, but growth continues to be fueled by the introduction of many line extensions in both the controlled-release and fast-dissolving product segments. At the same time, broader market issues are fueling growth as well.

“Pharmaceutical companies for their part are increasingly turning to drug delivery to extend the revenue-earning lifetime of their biggest products as they approach or succumb to patent loss,” notes Mary Anne Crandall, the report’s author. “At the same time, other concerns, such as finding convenient forms and market acceptance of new biopharmaceuticals, and tapping into the growing elderly population that requires products with a level of ease-of-use and cost benefit, will continue to stimulate the market for oral delivery.”