Recent Patents on Drug Delivery & Formulation - Volume 2, Issue 1, 2008

There are three main routes for delivery of drugs to the eye: topical, systemic and intra-ocular injection. Controlled delivery systems, such as ocular inserts, minitablets and disposable lenses, can be applied to the exterior surface of the eye for treatment of conditions affecting the anterior segment of the eye. Extended residence times following topical application have the potential to improve bioavailability of the administe Read More

Although the formulation of effective topical drug delivery system is one of the most sophisticated pharmaceutical preparations, it has attracted researchers due to many medical advantages associated with it. Topical drug delivery systems can act superficially on skin surface, locally in dermal layer of the skin or transdermally to provide successful delivery of drug molecules to the systemic circulation avoiding the traditi Read More

Regenerative medicine requires the coordinated rebuilding of tissue and preservation of normal physiologic function. Cellular therapy incorporating tissue engineering principals has been among the most effective therapies, due to specific interactions between materials, cells, factors, and ligands that have been delineated over the last 5 decades. The current generation of these modalities incorporates the ability to control Read More

The treatment of brain disorders is the greatest challenge because of a variety of formidable obstacles in effective drug delivery and maintaining therapeutic concentrations in the brain for a prolonged period. The brain is a delicate organ, and evolution built very efficient ways to protect it. The same mechanisms that protect it against intrusive chemicals can also frustrate therapeutic interventions. Approximately, 100% of l Read More

Skin forms a protective barrier to the entry of foreign molecules, especially water soluble compounds. Iontophoresis, one of the promising approaches to deliver water soluble drugs through the skin, has already been approved by FDA to deliver lidocaine and fentanyl. Iontophoresis involves application of current (< 0.5 mA/cm2) to push charged molecules into, or across the body tissue and offers programmable deliv Read More

The application of electroporation to enhance transdermal delivery has opened up a new possibility to introduce larger molecules such as peptide hormones and vaccines as well as minigenes and RNAi etc. through the transdermal route. Many devices have been developed to deliver the pulse electric field needed to permeate the skin. These devices include both non-puncturing surface electrodes as well as puncturing electrod Read More

The recognition of periodontal diseases as amenable to local antibiotherapy has resulted in a paradigmatic shift in treatment modalities of dental afflictions. Moreover the presence of antimicrobial resistance, surfacing of untoward reactions owing to systemic consumption of antibiotics has further advocated the use of local delivery of physiologically active substances into the periodontal pocket. While antimicrobials polymer Read More

DNA vaccination (or genetic immunization) strategies provide important opportunities for improving immunization, since both humoral and cell-mediated responses are induced. The use of genetic vaccines for inducing immunity to infectious agents can eliminate or significantly alleviate the pathology associated with a broad range of infections. A requirement for efficient DNA vaccination is the development of gene delivery s Read More

For the past few decades, there has been a considerable research interest in the area of drug delivery using particulate delivery systems as carriers for bioactive agents. Until now several reviews have been compiled on the nanoparticulate system concentrating on the various research works but there is no review, which compiles patents available for the nanoparticulate systems. Particulate systems like nanoparticles ha Read More

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