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Chemistry-enabled drug delivery (prodrugs): recent progress and challenges
Sophie-Dorothee Clas1, Rosa I Sanchez2, Rebecca Nofsinger3
1Basic Pharmaceutical Sciences, Merck & Co., West Point, PA 19486, USA.
Drug Discovery Today
|September 3, 2013
Summary
Prodrug strategies can improve drug solubility and permeability, potentially saving time and resources in drug development. This review highlights recent prodrug advancements and remaining challenges.
Area of Science:
- Pharmaceutical Chemistry
- Drug Delivery
- Medicinal Chemistry
Background:
- Active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) often require enhancement for optimal solubility and permeability.
- Drug discovery teams invest significant resources in structure-activity relationships and formulation for desired biopharmaceutical properties.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent achievements in prodrug development.
- To highlight the challenges associated with the prodrug approach in drug discovery.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of recent advancements in prodrug design and application.
- Analysis of case studies demonstrating successful and challenging prodrug implementation.
Main Results:
- Prodrugs offer a viable strategy to overcome API physicochemical limitations.
- Recent innovations have expanded the scope and efficacy of prodrug technologies.
- Key challenges remain in predicting in vivo performance and ensuring efficient release.
Conclusions:
- Early consideration of prodrugs can streamline drug development, improving molecular properties.
- Continued research is needed to address existing challenges and further optimize prodrug strategies.
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Prodrugs help overcome...
Prodrugs help overcome...
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