Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 23, 2025

Development and Characterization of Fusidic Acid-Loaded Alginate-Aloe vera Based Hydrogel FilmWound Healing

Development and Characterization of Fusidic Acid-Loaded Alginate-Aloe vera Based Hydrogel FilmWound Healing

Published on: December 13, 2024

Biopharmaceutics Aspects of Sugar Alcohols: Implementation of Patient-Centricity in Pharmaceutical Development and

Kazuki Matsui¹

¹Biopharmaceutics Group, Pharmaceutical R&D, Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., 3-1-1, Sakurai, Shimamoto-cho, Mishima-gun, Osaka 618-8585, Japan.

Molecular Pharmaceutics

|March 10, 2025

Abstract:

Sugar alcohols such as mannitol and sorbitol are frequently used as pharmaceutical excipients in oral dosage forms. Their versatility stems from extensive evidence of use in humans. However, investigations over many years have clearly indicated their osmolarity-derived biopharmaceutics effects on oral drug absorption. Despite this, these accumulated insights have not been fully integrated into pharmaceutical formulation development or clinical use, leading to suboptimal industrial and clinical practices. This review provides a comprehensive summary of the biopharmaceutics of sugar alcohols, detailing their mechanisms of action and the magnitude of their osmotic effects on the oral absorption of various drugs. Additionally, the review discusses the implications for bioequivalence studies, BCS-based biowaiver guidelines, drug-excipient interactions in pediatric polypharmacy, and pharmaceutical compounding. The aim is to guide future successful and patient-centric pharmaceutical formulation development.

Keywords:

bioavailability bioequivalence excipient osmolarity polypharmacy sugar alcohols

More Related Videos

Generation of Alginate Microspheres for Biomedical Applications

Generation of Alginate Microspheres for Biomedical Applications

Published on: August 12, 2012

Dynamic Light Scattering Analysis for the Determination of the Particle Size of Iron-Carbohydrate Complexes

Dynamic Light Scattering Analysis for the Determination of the Particle Size of Iron-Carbohydrate Complexes

Published on: July 7, 2023

Related Concept Videos

Oral Hypoglycemic Agents: α-Glucosidase Inhibitors

Oral Hypoglycemic Agents: α-Glucosidase Inhibitors

α-glucosidase inhibitors, including acarbose (Precose), miglitol (Glyset), and voglibose (Voglib) (primarily available in Asia), are drugs that control blood sugar levels by delaying the digestion of starch and disaccharides. They achieve this by inhibiting α-glucosidase enzymes in the intestine, which slow the absorption of carbohydrates in the intestine, which in turn leads to a prolonged release of the glucoregulatory hormone GLP-1 from intestinal L-cells.
Acarbose and miglitol are...

Biopharmaceutics and Pharmacokinetics: Overview

Biopharmaceutics and Pharmacokinetics: Overview

Understanding drugs, drug products, and their performance in pharmaceutical science is pivotal. Drugs, whether simple molecules or complex compounds, are designed to interact with the body's biological systems to diagnose, treat, or prevent diseases. Drug products include various delivery systems such as tablets, capsules, injections, and inhalers. The performance of these drug products is gauged by their ability to deliver the active ingredient to the desired site of action at the...

Drug Administration and Therapy Phases: Overview

Drug Administration and Therapy Phases: Overview

Drugs, the chemical agents used in diagnosing, treating, or preventing diseases, undergo a four-phase process of development: pharmaceutic, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and therapeutic.
The pharmaceutical phase focuses on leveraging the physicochemical properties of the drug to design and manufacture an effective product. Variants include orally administered tablets or capsules, topical creams or ointments, and parenteral-delivery solutions or emulsions.
The pharmacokinetic phase...

Factors Influencing Drug Absorption: Pharmaceutical Parameters

Factors Influencing Drug Absorption: Pharmaceutical Parameters

Solid dosage forms such as tablets and capsules undergo rigorous manufacturing processes to ensure stability and effectiveness. Their dissolution and absorption properties are influenced significantly by the choice of excipients (inactive ingredients that serve various roles in the formulation), and the methodology applied during production. The manufacturing parameters, such as compression force and granulation techniques, significantly affect dissolution rates. Elevated compression forces...

Factors Influencing Drug Absorption: Physicochemical Parameters

Factors Influencing Drug Absorption: Physicochemical Parameters

The physicochemical characteristics of drugs play a crucial role in formulating stable and bioavailable drug products. The solubility of a drug, governed by the varying pH along the GI tract and its dissociation constant (pKa), is pivotal in determining its ionization state and absorption rate. Notably, weak acids and bases remain unionized and are absorbed more rapidly.
Enhanced drug absorption can be achieved by reducing particle sizes and increasing surface areas, thereby facilitating...

Factors Influencing Drug Absorption: Disease States and Pharmacology

Factors Influencing Drug Absorption: Disease States and Pharmacology

Multiple disease states can significantly influence the oral drug absorption process by affecting blood flow and the functionality of the gastrointestinal (GI) system. Various GI diseases, including conditions that alter GI motility, such as diarrhea, decreased acid secretions (achlorhydria), and infections, have been associated with reduced drug absorption.
Substances such as alcohol and specific drugs, including antineoplastics, can also negatively impact drug absorption. For instance,...

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Utilization of Gastrointestinal Simulator, an in Vivo Predictive Dissolution Methodology, Coupled with Computational Approach To Forecast Oral Absorption of Dipyridamole.

Molecular pharmaceutics·2017

See all related articles