The Drug Delivery System
- mehekisharani
- Dec 8, 2022
- 2 min read
Since my very first visit to a pharmacy, I would always ponder the reason behind so many different forms of the same medicine. For example - Cough or vitamin medicine can have various formats for consumption such as liquids syrups, tablets, capsules, lozenges, and nasal sprays. At the end of the day, all these consumption formats are leveraged for two reasons: maximizing the ease of consumption, and ensuring the efficacy of the drug being consumed. So I thought I would share a little bit more about why are there several forms of the same medicine and which one is best suited?
The Drug Delivery System (DDS):-
The Drug Delivery System is defined as the method of administering pharmaceutical compounds to achieve a therapeutic effect in humans and animals. A drug's efficiency can be significantly impacted by the way in which it is delivered. By developing a variety of drug delivery systems it is now possible to better control the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, toxicity, immunogenicity, and efficiency of drugs. By finding one of the best-suited delivery formats for a specific drug molecule it is possible to optimize the performance of that drug inside the body.
Common methods of drug delivery:
Oral delivery (through the mouth usually in the form of tablets, capsules, or syrups.)
Topical delivery (through the skin, the most common format of patches)
Trans-mucosal delivery (nasal, sublingual, vaginal, ocular, rectal)
Injection into the systemic circulation
Inhalation routes
I am allergic to peanuts ( i.e. all kinds of nuts in existence.) The only format I was introduced to taking at a young age was an injection that contained Epinephrine. To treat an anaphylactic reaction I have to stab myself through the skin. I always thought it unfair, when numerous other medications had other formats such as tablets and capsules.
It is only now that I realize that it is because the injection is the best way of getting epinephrine into the blood vessels and improving breathing, stimulating the heart, raising dropping blood pressure, reversing hives, and reducing swelling of the face, lips, and throat. Taking it orally or through patches would slow down the dispersion of the drug a hundred times. So, it can also be said that not all formats suit the medication being given, specific medicines such as Topotecan, a drug that can only use one format injection are given by oncologists to treat ovarian or lung cancer. Each of these delivery systems has its own sets of advantages and disadvantages which will be tackled in the second part of the Drug Delivery System Series.
Glossary:
Pharmacokinetics - is a branch of pharmacology dedicated to determining the fate of substances administered to a living organism.
Therapeutic effect - it refers to the response after a treatment of any kind the results of which are usually useful or favorable.
Pharmacodynamics - the study of the biochemical and physiologic effects of drugs.
Immunogenicity - it is the ability of a foreign substance, such as an antigen, to provoke an immune response in the body of a human or another animal.
Anaphylactic - Anaphylaxis is when you get severe allergic reactions.
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