Domperidone: A literature based review on pharmacokinetic control using different drug delivery strategies

Abstract

Domperidone (DMP), a potent gastroprokinetic and antiemetic drug, exhibits poor aqueous solubility and extensive first-pass metabolism. Therefore, to develop its oral preparations with optimized absorption and bioavailability, the pharmacokinetic parameters of this drug need to be controlled. This study aims to discuss the physicochemical characteristics of DMP causing its unfavorable oral delivery, explore the viable oral formulation approaches such as direct compression, amorphization, micronization, thin film preparation, pelletization etc. based on their pharmacokinetic parameters for determining the most valuable strategies and to provide adequate information in developing novel alternatives to the current commercial products. In this study, some effective strategies in this regard have comparatively discussed. It has been found that the amorphous solid dispersion approach could be more convincing from the scalability perspective along with its significant improvement in dissolution behavior and oral bioavailability. Finally, some future perspectives of these strategies have been addressed to facilitate efficient formulation development.