Nanotechnology in medicine: Who are the leading public companies?

Applications for nanotechnology in medicine include imaging, diagnosis, or the delivery of drugs that will help medical professionals treat various diseases. In addition to targeted delivery of therapeutics, nanotechnology can also be used to release drugs in a controlled manner. This can result in improved outcomes for patients due to a reduction in toxicity, more efficient delivery of therapeutic molecules, and a longer lifetime of drugs within the body.

The leading listed companies impacted by this theme, as identified by GlobalData, are listed below.

Amgen Inc

Amgen Inc (Amgen) is a biotechnology company that discovers, develops, manufactures, and markets innovative human therapeutics to treat patients suffering from serious diseases. It develops novel medicines in six focused therapeutic areas including cardiovascular disease, oncology/haematology, inflammation, bone health, neuroscience, and nephrology.

Amgen sells its products primarily to pharmaceutical wholesale distributors in the US. It also markets certain products directly to consumers by direct-to-consumer channels. Nanomedicines approved by the FDA include Neulasta.

Bausch Health Companies Inc

Bausch Health Companies Inc (Bausch Health), formerly known as Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc, manufactures, develops, and markets a range of medical devices, over-the-counter products (OTC), and pharmaceutical products. Bausch Health offers products in the areas of dermatology, gastroenterology, and eye health. It also offers generic and branded generic products.

Bausch Health manufactures products through third-party sources. Nanomedicines approved by the FDA include Macugen and Visudyne.

Biogen Inc

Biogen Inc (Biogen) is a biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops, and delivers drugs for the treatment of neurological and neurodegenerative diseases. The company’s marketed products include Avonex (interferon beta-1a), Tysabri (natalizumab), Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate), Fampyra (prolonged-release fampridine tablets), and Plegridy (peginterferon beta-1a) for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS); Spinraza (nusinersen) for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA); and Fumaderm (fumaric acid esters) for severe plaque psoriasis.

The company also offers biosimilars through its joint venture, Samsung Bioepis. Nanomedicines approved by the FDA include Plegridy.

Celgene Corp

Celgene Corp (Celgene) is an integrated biopharmaceutical company that is focused on therapies for the treatment of cancer and immune-inflammatory diseases. Its product portfolio includes Vidaza (azacitidine) for the treatment of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS); Revlimid (lenalidomide), Pomalyst (pomalidomide), and Thalomid (thalidomide) for the treatment of multiple myeloma; Otezla (apremilast) for psoriatic arthritis; and Istodax (romidepsin) for cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) and peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL).

The company also has several pipeline products in various phases of clinical development for the treatment of haematological and solid tumour cancers. It has manufacturing facilities in Boudry and Zofingen, Switzerland, and Arizona, US. Nanomedicines approved by the FDA include Abraxane.

Eisai Co Ltd

Eisai Co Ltd (Eisai) is a pharmaceutical company that conducts research and development (R&D), manufacture, and sales of pharmaceuticals, including over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, prescription medicines, and generics. The company’s franchise areas in research include neurology and oncology. Eisai’s major products include Pariet/AcipHex (proton pump inhibitor); Aricept, an anti-Alzheimer’s agent; Halaven, a novel anti-cancer agent; and Fycompa, an anti-epileptic and peripheral neuropathy treatment, among others.

Eisai has production plants in Japan, the UK, China, and India and laboratories in Japan, the US, and the UK. Nanomedicines approved by the FDA include Ontak.

Roche

Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd (Roche) is a biotechnology company that provides pharmaceuticals in cancer, neuroscience, infection, immunology, ophthalmology, cardiovascular and metabolism, haematology, neurology, and respiratory disease areas. The company also provides in-vitro diagnostics and tissue-based cancer diagnostics, besides diabetes management solutions.

Roche offers its products and services to hospitals, commercial diagnostic laboratories, healthcare professionals, researchers, and pharmacists. Nanomedicines approved by the FDA include Pegasys and Mircera.

Gilead Science Inc

Gilead Sciences Inc (Gilead) is a research-based biopharmaceutical company. It focuses medicines for the treatment of cardiovascular, haematological, and respiratory diseases, inflammation, liver diseases, cancer, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.

Gilead develops products that offer improved methods of delivery, enhanced resistance profile, minimised side effects, and greater efficiency. Nanomedicines approved by the FDA include AmBisome.

Ipsen SA

Ipsen SA (Ipsen) is a global specialty biopharmaceutical company that manufactures and distributes drugs for the treatment of cancer and rare and neurological diseases. The company develops and commercialises novel medicines in cancer, neuroscience, and rare diseases. It also offers products to treat gastrointestinal disorders, neurodegenerative pathologies, and rheumatology diseases.

Ipsen has R&D facilities in Paris-Saclay, France; Oxford, UK; and Cambridge, US. Nanomedicines approved by the FDA include Onivyde.

Jazz Pharmaceuticals Plc

Jazz Pharmaceuticals Plc (Jazz Pharmaceuticals) is a specialty biopharmaceutical company focused on narcolepsy, cancer, pain, and psychiatry. Its major marketed products include Xyrem (sodium oxybate oral solution) for the treatment of cataplexy and excessive daytime sleepiness in patients with narcolepsy; and Erwinaze, an asparagine specific enzyme, for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, in patients who are intolerant or refractory to other treatments; and FazaClo (orally disintegrating clozapine tablets) indicated for the treatment of resistant schizophrenia.

Nanomedicines approved by the FDA include Vyxeos.

Lantheus Holdings

Lantheus Holdings Inc (Lantheus) is engaged in the development, manufacture, sale, and distribution of diagnostic medical imaging agents and products that assist clinicians in the diagnosis of cardiovascular and other diseases.

The company’s products include VIALMIX, PINSYNC, TechneLite, Xenon-133, Calidose Dispenser System, NEUROLITE, Thallium201, QUADRAMET, Cardiolite, Gallium-67, Fludeoxyglucose F 18 Injection and ABLAVAR. Nanomedicines approved by the FDA include Definity.

Merck & Co

Merck & Co Inc (Merck) is a biopharmaceutical company that offers prescription products for treating cardiovascular, cancer, immune disorders, infectious, respiratory and women’s diseases, and diabetes. The company provides animal health products such as vaccines, poultry products, livestock products, and aquaculture products.

Merck is known as MSD outside the US and Canada. Nanomedicines approved by the FDA include PegIntron.

Novo Nordisk

Novo Nordisk, a subsidiary of Novo A/S, discovers, develops, and manufactures innovative biological medicines. It focuses on developing drugs for treating diabetes and other serious chronic conditions including haemophilia, growth disorders, and obesity. The company’s product portfolio includes new-generation insulins, modern insulins, human insulins, oral antidiabetic agents, diabetes injection devices, and others.

Novo Nordisk also offers biopharmaceuticals for treating haemostasis, human growth hormone products, hormone replacement therapy, and other serious chronic diseases. Nanomedicines approved by the FDA include Rebinyn.

Pacira BioSciences Inc

Pacira BioSciences Inc (Pacira), formerly known as Pacira Pharmaceuticals Inc, discovers, develops, manufactures, and commercialises drugs based on its proprietary DepoFoam drug delivery technology. Its lead product candidate, Exparel (bupivacaine liposome injectable suspension), is an amide-type local anaesthetic indicated for infiltration into the surgical site to produce postsurgical analgesia. Its other products developed under partnerships include DepoCyt (cytarabine liposome injection) for lymphomatous meningitis and Nocita (bupivacaine liposome injectable suspension) for surgical infiltration in dogs.

Its products are used by hospitals and ambulatory surgery centres. Nanomedicines approved by the FDA include DepoDur.

Pfizer Inc

Pfizer Inc (Pfizer) is a biopharmaceutical company that provides medicines, vaccines, and consumer healthcare products. The company provides products to treat conditions including infection, cancer, inflammation, immune disorders, and rare diseases, besides vaccines. It also provides sterile injectable pharmaceuticals, biosimilars, active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), and contract manufacturing services.

Nanomedicines approved by the FDA include Somavert.

Sanofi

Sanofi is a healthcare company that researches, develops, manufactures, and markets a wide range of medicines and vaccines. Its product portfolio includes medicines for the treatment of cancer, diabetes, rare diseases, multiple sclerosis, and cardiovascular diseases; human vaccines for protection against various bacterial and viral diseases; and other products. Sanofi also offers consumer healthcare products for digestion; allergy; cough, cold, flu, and sinus; pain; women’s health; and vitamins, minerals, and supplements.

Nanomedicines approved by the FDA include Renagel.

Takeda Pharmaceutical Co Ltd

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Ltd (Takeda) is a research-based pharmaceutical company that manufactures and markets a wide range of products in therapy areas including gastrointestinal, rare diseases, oncology, neuroscience, and plasma-derived therapies.

Nanomedicines approved by the FDA include Adynovate.

Teva

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd (Teva) is a pharmaceutical company that provides specialty medicines to treat disorders of the central nervous system (CNS), respiratory, cancer, women’s health, and other therapy areas. The company offers generic medicines in a range of dosage forms including capsules, tablets, injectables, liquids, inhalants, creams, and ointments.

Teva also provides OTC products, besides APIs. Nanomedicines approved by the FDA include Copaxone.

UCB SA

UCB SA (UCB) is a biopharmaceutical company that principally focuses on developing products for the treatment of central nervous system (CNS) and immunology-related conditions. The company’s key medicines include Neupro for Parkinson’s disease and restless legs syndrome and Vimpat, Keppra, and Briviact for epilepsy.

Nanomedicines approved by the FDA include Cimzia.

This is an edited extract from Nanotechnology in Medicine report produced by GlolbalData Thematic Research.