Development of strategies to assist the movement of poorly permeable molecules across biological barriers has long been the goal of drug delivery science. In the last three decades, there has been an exponential increase in advanced drug delivery systems that aim to address this issue. However, most proprietary delivery technologies that have progressed to clinical development are based on permeation enhancers (PEs) that have a history of safe use in man. This Special Issue entitled “Transmucosal Absorption Enhancers in the Drug Delivery Field” aims to present the current state-of-the-art in the application of PEs to improve drug absorption. Emphasis is placed on identification of novel permeation enhancers, mechanisms of barrier alteration, physicochemical properties of PEs that contribute to optimal enhancement action, new delivery models to assess PEs, studies assessing safety of PEs, approaches to assist translation of PEs into effective oral, nasal, ocular and vaginal dosage forms and combining PEs with other delivery strategies.

First published in 1995. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Explore this comprehensive discussion of the application of physiologically- and physicochemical-based models to guide drug delivery edited by leading experts in the field Drug Delivery Approaches: Perspectives from Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics delivers a thorough discussion of drug delivery options to achieve target profiles and approaches as defined by physical and pharmacokinetic models. The book offers an overview of drug absorption and physiological models, chapters on oral delivery routes with a focus on both PBPK and multiple dosage form options. It also provides an explanation of the pharmacokinetics of the formulation of drugs delivered by systemic transdermal routes. The distinguished editors have included practical and accessible resources that address the biological and delivery approaches to pulmonary and mucosal delivery of drugs. Emergency care settings are also described, with explorations of the relationship between parenteral infusion profiles and PK/PD. The future of drug delivery is addressed via discussions of virtual experiments to elucidate mechanisms and approaches to drug delivery and personalized medicine. Readers will also benefit from the inclusion of: A thorough introduction to the utility of mathematical models in drug development and delivery An exploration of the techniques and applications of physiologically based models to drug delivery Discussions of oral delivery and pharmacokinetic models and oral site-directed delivery A review of integrated transdermal delivery and pharmacokinetics in development An examination of virtual experiment methods for integrating pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic, and drug delivery mechanisms Alternative endpoints to pharmacokinetics for topical delivery Perfect for researchers, industrial scientists, graduate students, and postdoctoral students in the area of pharmaceutical science and engineering, Drug Delivery Approaches: Perspectives from Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics will also earn a place in the libraries of formulators, pharmacokineticists, and clinical pharmacologists.

Recent years have seen enormous advances in the field of protein and peptide engineering and a greater understanding in the way in which biological response modifiers function in the body. It is now possible through the use of recombinant DNA techniques, or by solid phase protein synthesis, to produce significant quantities of a wide variety of regulatory agents that are therapeutically applicable. The list of these response modifiers expands almost daily to include interferons, macrophage activation factors, neuropeptides and agents that may have potential in cardiovascular disease, inflammation, contraception etc. Prospects to use some of these materials in medicine have reached the stage where products have either been approved by regulatory authorities or are the subject of applications as investigatory drugs or as new therapeutic agents. In some uses the pertinent agent will be administered on an acute basis in the form of a simple injection, as, for example, the use of a tissue plasminogen activator for the treatment of coronary infarct. In other cases regulatory proteins and peptides are indicated for chronic therapy and here they will need to be administered by an appropriate delivery system. Unfortunately, the research on delivery systems for peptides and proteins has not kept pace with the rapid progress in biotechnology and, consequently, there are presently few systems that are entirely appropriate for the administration of macromolecular drugs according to complex dosage regimens, (eg intermittent and pulsed therapy). Furthermore essential pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic data may be missing.