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Foundations of gastrointestinal-based drug delivery and future developments
Jacqueline N Chu1,2, Giovanni Traverso3,4
1Division of Gastroenterology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Nature Reviews. Gastroenterology & Hepatology
|November 17, 2021
Summary
Gastrointestinal drug delivery offers patient convenience but faces absorption challenges. This review explores formulation principles and emerging technologies to improve oral drug delivery, especially for biologics.
Area of Science:
- Pharmaceutical Sciences
- Drug Delivery
- Biotechnology
Background:
- Oral drug administration is preferred for patient convenience and adherence.
- The gastrointestinal tract presents unique challenges, including digestive enzymes and limited mucosal transport, hindering drug absorption.
- Many drugs, particularly biologics, remain primarily available as injectables due to these limitations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the fundamentals of gastrointestinal drug delivery for clinicians and pharmaceutical scientists.
- To discuss challenges and principles for successful oral drug formulation.
- To highlight emerging technologies for enhanced gastrointestinal drug delivery.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on gastrointestinal drug delivery principles.
- Analysis of challenges specific to different gastrointestinal compartments.
- Exploration of novel drug delivery technologies.
Main Results:
- Successful gastrointestinal drug delivery requires overcoming specific formulation and absorption hurdles.
- Understanding the unique physiological characteristics of each GI compartment is crucial for targeted delivery.
- Emerging technologies show promise in addressing current limitations.
Conclusions:
- Optimizing gastrointestinal drug delivery is key to expanding oral administration options, especially for biologics.
- Further research into formulation strategies and advanced delivery systems is needed.
- This review provides a foundation for developing more effective oral therapies.
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