ABOUT DRUG DELIVERY

Drug Delivery describes the process whereby a pharmaceutical agent is administered to the body in a controlled manner. Drug Delivery Systems are particular dosage forms that permit a more efficient and safe delivery of a drug to the targeted site where it can effectively exert the desired therapeutic action.

Benefits for the patients:

- increased efficacy at the lowest possible dose
- improved tolerance, less side effects
- better patient compliance by reducing the number of doses taken daily

Benefits to pharmaceutical companies:

- extension of a product's life cycle
- competitive differentiation
- saving the development of a new chemical entity with poor pharmacokinetic properties

Long time considered as a last resort to improve the presentation of an active ingredient, Drug Delivery Systems have nowadays become an essential component of therapeutic efficacy management. The delivery system can be as important as the active chemical in determining the formulation's commercial success.