Nasal route: an alternative approach for antiemetic drug delivery

Antiemetic drugs are used in the treatment of nausea and emesis. Development of novel delivery systems for antiemetic drugs, as an alternative to conventional preparations, is important in terms of good patient compliance and improving bioavailability. The nasal route offers unique superiorities, such as fast and high drug absorption, and high patient compliance. Therefore, a considerable amount of research has been carried out on the development of nasal delivery systems for antiemetic drugs.

This review deals with the importance of nasal delivery of antiemetic drugs and the studies performed on this subject. The first part of this review summarizes the properties of the nasal route, its advantages and limitations, parameters affecting drug absorption through nasal mucosa, nasal passage pathways and general approaches to improve nasal transport. The second part reviews the studies conducted on the development of nasal delivery systems.

Due to its superiorities, the nasal route could be considered as an attractive alternative to oral and parenteral routes. To overcome the barrier properties of the nasal epithelium and to enhance transport of antiemetic drugs, several approaches, including permeation enhancers, in situ gel formulations and micro- and nanoparticulate systems, have been evaluated. The results obtained are promising and indicate that nasal formulations of some antiemetic drugs may enter the market in the near future.