Biopharmaceutical aspects of lipid formulations of amphotericin B

To improve the clinical utility of amphotericin B (AmpB), several lipid-based formulations have been developed. The biopharmaceutical aspects related to the parenteral use of colloidal lipid particles as carriers of AmpB are reviewed here. The first part of the review provides an introduction to the parenteral use of colloidal particles for chemotherapy by addressing the concept of a particulate drug carrier system, the pharmaceutical technological issues, and the biological factors governing the potential and limitations of lipid particles for effective drug delivery. The second part is devoted to AmpB lipid formulations. The pharmaceutical characteristics of the various industrially produced formulations, their pharmacokinetics and possible mechanisms of action, and potential future developments are described.