Formulation and delivery strategies of ibuprofen: challenges and opportunities

Ibuprofen, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), is mostly administered orally and topically to relieve acute pain and fever. Due to its mode of action this drug may be useful in the treatment regimens of other, more chronic conditions, like cystic fibrosis. This drug is poorly soluble in aqueous media and thus the rate of dissolution from the currently available solid dosage forms is limited. This leads to poor bioavailability at high doses after oral administration, thereby increasing the risk of unwanted adverse effects. The poor solubility is a problem for developing injectable solution dosage forms. Because of its poor skin permeability, it is difficult to obtain an effective therapeutic concentration from topical preparations. This review aims to give a brief insight into the status of ibuprofen dosage forms and their limitations, particle/crystallization technologies for improving formulation strategies as well as suggesting its incorporation into the pulmonary drug delivery systems for achieving better therapeutic action at low dose.