Affiliation:
1. School of Pharmacy, Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth (Deemed to be University), SBV Campus, Pillaiyarkuppam, Pondicherry - 607402, India
2. Drugs Testing Laboratory, Drugs Control Department, Government of Karnataka, Palace Road, Bangalore - 560001, Karnataka, India
3. Karnataka College of Pharmacy, Hegde Nagar Main Road, Thirumenahalli Post, Bangalore - 560064, Karnataka, India
4. School of Health Sciences and Technology, Dr. Vishwanath Karad MIT World Peace University, Pune - 411038, Maharashtra, India
Abstract
Drug delivery system (DDS) is a collective term used for techniques that carry drugs into or throughout the body for administration and distribution of drug substances to the target cells, specific tissues or desired organs, to exert optimal effects. Among various routes of DDS, the transdermal drug delivery system (TDDS) forms an attractive approach compared to other routes of administration in terms of easy application, non-invasive, avoiding first pass metabolism, for systemic / local effect, directly reaches blood stream, target drug delivery, controlled release of the drug, easy termination of drug action by removing the patch, suitable for geriatric, paediatric subjects, unconscious patients, enhanced subject compliance and decreased side effects and inter and intra-patient variability as well. In this review, we focused on physiology of skin, routes of percutaneous absorption and types of TDDS, design, development and formulation approaches, basic elements, pharmacokinetics, factors affecting drug penetration, characterization and its evaluation. Significant discussion of their specific advantages, benefits especially in pain management, clinical considerations, general guidelines for using TDDS, market demand etc. This article also provides valuable literature for suitability of most of the Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for transdermal administration mainly due to their pharmacological aspects. In recent years, the scope of TDDS has increased in national as well as foreign market. Hence there are increased research activities from many pharma companies and research institutes for potential drug candidates for TDDS. The promising response of transdermal patches has spurred further research and development in this area. The global transdermal patch pipeline is overflowing, pointing to a bright future for these patches in the coming years. Therefore, TDDS may be the best alternative to oral formulations for effective treatment of inflammatory conditions.