Controlled Drug Delivery Systems: Mechanisms, Drug Selection, and Formulation Approaches
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61280/6jj8a660Keywords:
Controlled drug delivery systems, Sustained release, Diffusion-controlled systems, Osmotic drug delivery, Drug selectionAbstract
Controlled Drug Delivery Systems (CDDS) are pharmaceutical formulations designed to regulate the rate and duration of drug release to maintain therapeutic drug concentrations over an extended period. Compared with conventional dosage forms, these systems aim to reduce fluctuations in drug concentration, decrease the frequency of drug administration, and improve patient compliance. This review discusses the major principles and mechanisms involved in controlled drug delivery, including dissolution-controlled, diffusion-controlled, erosion-controlled, ion-exchange-controlled, and osmotic systems. It also highlights the importance of selecting suitable drug candidates based on their physicochemical, biopharmaceutic, pharmacokinetic, and pharmacodynamic properties. Factors such as molecular weight, aqueous solubility, partition coefficient, drug stability, absorption characteristics, biological half-life, metabolism, therapeutic range, and therapeutic index influence the suitability of a drug for controlled release. Understanding these properties is essential for selecting an appropriate drug delivery approach and designing formulations capable of providing predictable and sustained drug release. Overall, controlled drug delivery offers an important approach to improving dosage convenience and maintaining therapeutic effectiveness, although its success depends on appropriate drug selection and formulation design.
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