Controlled Release in Oral Drug Delivery

Controlling the rate, extent and time of a drug’s delivery can optimize its performance in many ways, relative to “immediate release” delivery. Such optimized design requires a broad knowledge base of topics such as gastro intestinal tract physiology, polymer science, and the mechanisms by which drugs are released from the formulated units. Technologies to “reduce to practice” also need to be carefully considered. Such knowledge must be allied to the physico chemical properties of the drug, its pharmacokinetic behaviors, enzyme susceptibility and other factors that can affect absorption or timecourse in the biosystem. Traditionally, controlled release systems tended to be “second-generation products, building on accumulated clinical experience. However, better awareness of the molecular biology of drug action and the promise of biomarkers and personalized medicine may mean that optimizing performance by controlling release may become a first option in new product development. Such optimization may well help reduce the alarming attrition rates that are now prevalent in new drug development. Controlled Release in Oral Drug Delivery provides chapters, dealing with all facets of the above subject matter, and its challenges. Authors have been drawn from academia, providers of excipients and from those designing controlled release systems in industrial R&D and manufacture. The contents provide a unique blend of cutting edge knowledge, data on materials and practical experiences. It is essential text for students, researchers and industrial engineering, formulation and manufacturing technologists as well as quality testing and control functions