Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2014 Feb 19:9:1005-23.
doi: 10.2147/IJN.S55359. eCollection 2014.

Nanotherapeutics in the EU: an overview on current state and future directions

Anita Hafner  1 , Jasmina Lovrić  1 , Gorana Perina Lakoš  2 , Ivan Pepić  3
Affiliations
Review

Nanotherapeutics in the EU: an overview on current state and future directions

Anita Hafner et al. Int J Nanomedicine. .

Abstract

The application of nanotechnology in areas of drug delivery and therapy (ie, nanotherapeutics) is envisioned to have a great impact on public health. The ability of nanotherapeutics to provide targeted drug delivery, improve drug solubility, extend drug half-life, improve a drug's therapeutic index, and reduce a drug's immunogenicity has resulted in the potential to revolutionize the treatment of many diseases. In this paper, we review the liposome-, nanocrystal-, virosome-, polymer therapeutic-, nanoemulsion-, and nanoparticle-based approaches to nanotherapeutics, which represent the most successful and commercialized categories within the field of nanomedicine. We discuss the regulatory pathway and initiatives endeavoring to ensure the safe and timely clinical translation of emerging nanotherapeutics and realization of health care benefits. Emerging trends are expected to confirm that this nano-concept can exert a macro-impact on patient benefits, treatment options, and the EU economy.

Keywords: EU approval procedures; EU marketed products; drug delivery; nanotechnology.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Rationale for the nanotherapeutic approach. Abbreviation: R&D, research and development.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Nanotherapeutics with the greatest pharmaceutical and commercial potential. Abbreviation: PEG, polyethylene glycol.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Murthy SK. Nanoparticles in modern medicine: state of the art and future challenges. Int J Nanomedicine. 2007;2(2):129–141. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Mura S, Couvreur P. Nanotheranostics for personalized medicine. Adv Drug Deliv Rev. 2012;64(13):1394–1416. - PubMed
    1. Rizzo LY, Theek B, Storm G, Kiessling F, Lammers T. Recent progress in nanomedicine: therapeutic, diagnostic and theranostic applications. Curr Opin Biotechnol. 2013;24(6):1159–1166. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Wagner W, Huüsing B, Gaisser S, Bock A. Nanomedicine: drivers for development and possible impacts. Centre ECJR, Studies IfPT, trans: European Commission Joint Research Centre, Institute for Prospective Technological Studies; 2006.
    1. Webster TJ. Projections for nanomedicine into the next decade: but is it all about pharmaceuticals? Int J Nanomedicine. 2008;3(1):i. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources