CPHI Milan 2026: Overcoming Formulation Barriers in LAIs
As demand for patient-centric chronic disease treatments grows, Nanexa CTO Mårten Rooth discusses how atomic layer deposition enables high drug loads and controlled release in long-acting injectables.
An increasing prevalence of chronic conditions, the treatments of which require frequent therapeutic dosing, and a greater demand for more patient-centric treatment regimens are leading to mounting industry focus on long-acting injectables (LAIs). The advantages LAIs offer patients include improved treatment adherence, lower administration burden, steady and sustained in vivo therapeutic levels, and so forth (1).
Given the benefits offered by LAIs and the factors driving interest in their development, the market projections of double-digit growth are unsurprising (2,3). However, development of LAIs is not without its challenges as companies can face high upfront costs, stringent regulatory scrutiny, complex formulation hurdles, and thorough clinical validation. Additionally, sophisticated solutions to drug delivery are required for LAIs, further compounding the barriers to success.
Drug delivery of LAIs has been a core focus of Swedish pharma company, Nanexa, which has developed a proprietary approach that involves encasing API microparticles in an ultra-thin inorganic shell — atomic layer deposition (ALD). “There are several advantages with the PharmaShell technology,” Rooth explains. “One advantage is the ability to have a high drug load, which is important from a manufacturing perspective — as we don’t need to produce as much material — and is also important for LAIs, because if you have a low drug load you have to inject a lot of material that is inconvenient and painful for the patient.”
Additionally, the coating technology protects the API, so there isn’t a semi-open system where liquids can enter or exit, keeping the API safe in its depot, Rooth remarks. The composition and thickness of the coating can also be tailored to control the release of the medicine after injection. “Key industry trends are less frequent dosing and protecting the API,” Rooth specifies. “But you must also have a system that allows you to design the depot duration.”
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References
Alidori, S.; Subramanian, R.; Holm, R. Patient-Centric Long-Acting Injectable and Implantable Platforms — An Industrial Perspective. Mol. Pharmaceutics, 2024, 21 (9), 4238–4258.
Research and Markets. Long Acting Injectables Market Outlook 2026–2034: Market Share and Growth Analysis.Market Research Report, April 2026.
Precedence Research. Long-Acting Injectables (LAIs) Market Growth Driven by Rising Demand for Improved Patient Compliance in Chronic Diseases. Market Research Report, Aug. 18, 2025.
About the Speaker
Mårten Rooth, PhD, is the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and one of the Co-Founders of Nanexa AB — a drug development company that specializes in long-acting injectables. Mårten’s academic experience is in chemistry, and he achieved his PhD in Materials Chemistry from Uppsala University in 2008. As part of his role at Nanexa, Mårten is involved in the development of the PharmaShell process and technology. PharmaShell is an advanced drug delivery system that is enabling a new generation of long-acting injectable to be administered in a comfortable, convenient, and tolerable way.
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