Pharmacophore an International Research Journal
Transdermal drug delivery systems (TDDS), also known as “patches,” are dosage forms designed to deliver a therapeutically effective amount of drug across a patient’s skin. In order to deliver therapeutic agents through the human skin for systemic effects, the comprehensive morphological, biophysical and physicochemical properties of the skin are to be considered. Transdermal delivery provides a leading edge over injectables and oral routes by increasing patient compliance and avoiding first pass metabolism respectively. Transdermal delivery not only provides controlled, constant administration of the drug, but also allows continuous input of drugs with short biological half-lives and eliminates pulsed entry into systemic circulation, which often causes undesirable side effects. This article deals with the innovations in the field of TDDS to improve the release rate and other parameters and most suitable to the patient. The number of medications and the ways in which they can be administered have expanded dramatically over the years. One such advance has been the development of transdermal delivery systems. The transdermal route of drug delivery has attracted researchers due to many biomedical advantages associated with it. However, excellent impervious nature of skin is the greatest challenge that has to be overcome for successfully delivery of the drug molecules to the systemic circulation via this route. Various types of transdermal approaches used to incorporate the active ingredients include use of prodrugs/lipophilic analogs, permeation enhancers, sub saturated systems and entrapment into vesicular systems. Innovations in technologies continue to occur at a positive rate, making the technology a fertile and vibrant. This article deals with the innovations in the field of TDDS to improve the release rate and other parameters and most suitable to the patient.
