Research Overview
Increasing Clinical Failures of New Drugs Call for a More Effective Use of ADME/Tox Technologies
With absorption, distribution, metabolisation and excretion/toxicity (ADME/Tox) technologies becoming more advanced and reliable in terms of accuracy and predictiveness, an increase in their usage is expected during the initial development and screening phase of innovative drugs. Development and approval of new drugs commonly take between seven and ten years and cost anywhere between $400 million and $500 million. Indications that 90 per cent of the clinical candidates are likely to fail due to pharmacokinetics (ADME-related) problems, lack of efficacy and side effects make this a high risk business for drug companies. As a result, manufacturers are realising the importance of screening potential "hit compounds" for significant ADME and toxicity profiles earlier on in their development phase.
This Frost & Sullivan research service covers the European ADME/Tox technologies market. It examines the existing competitive structure and evaluates the business potential in major markets, taking into account market drivers and industry dynamics. The study also looks at emerging technologies and provides a Decision Support Database (DSD) to help make strategic decisions.
Technologies that Focus on Complete Solutions Have Larger Presence in the ADME/Tox Tools Market
As the number of target drugs increases, the expanding volume and complexity of data are highlighting the need for extensive use of informatics to manage data for analysis and interpretation. Biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies are opting for sophisticated software that can filter out compound leads that could develop into drugs, predict biological properties and incorporate improved ADME/Tox screening. Doing so early in the drug development stages helps reduce the cost and time spent on compound failures. This has also spurred the adoption of in-silico techniques, which are complex and accurate models for rationalising and predicting ADME properties, allowing for better prediction complex systems.
"The combination of robotics with instrumentation is important to achieve high screening rates and to reduce time-consuming/costly manual interventions," says the analyst of this research. "The testing market is moving towards higher-density, lower volume formats that bring real savings in reagent costs and conserve the supply of precious compounds." Although, there are few problems with any of the innovative technologies coming into the market, some companies will be slow to adapt to these changes for a number of reasons.
Need for More Powerful Prediction Tools Ensures Further Market Growth
In a growing market characterised by increasing competition, the key is to develop systems and solutions that allow scientists to keep up with the ever increasing output and efficiency. Data consolidation, information sharing and standardisation of technologies would encourage the market to function efficiently and competitively.Partnering between clinical organisations and informatics and tool companies will allow manufacturers to create solutions that best meet the needs of the researchers. The uncertainty surrounding in-silico technologies will require promotion through peer reviewed literature for better market penetration.
Amidst rapid technological progress, traditional technologies are not likely to be replaced completely. Instead, the integration of new applications is likely to increase their use and drive the lead evaluation and optimisation and pre-clinical evaluation market. "Despite the restraints, for the long term, computational technologies and predictive solutions will increase the scope for the industry and the number of drugs which progress from the research to the clinical stage," concludes the analyst. | 
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