Optimizing oral drug delivery using lipid based formulations

Abstract

A great challenge facing the pharmaceutical scientists is transforming the new pharmacologically active lipophilic compounds that are poorly water soluble into orally administered medications with sufficient bioavailability. Lipid-based drug delivery systems has shown a great potential in the oral delivery of poorly water-soluble drugs, primarily for lipophilic drugs, with several successfully marketed products. Oral lipid-based formulations comprises of a broad range of oils, surfactants, and co-solvents. This review provides a comprehensive summary of the development, characterization, and utilization of oral lipid- based formulations, from both physicochemical and biopharmaceutical perspectives. The properties of the various lipid excipients are discussed and the criteria for selection of excipients for lipid-based formulations are identified. Finally the future prospects of this technique have been addressed to expand the utility of lipid based drug delivery systems.