The eye is the most easily accessible site for topical administration of a medication. Drugs are commonly applied to the eye for localised action on the surface or in the interior of the eye. A major problem in ocular therapeutics is the attainment of an optimal drug concentration at the site of action. Poor bioavailability of drugs from ocular dosage forms is mainly due to the precorneal loss factors which include tear dynamics, non-productive absorption, transient residence time in the cul-de-sac, and the relative impermeability of the corneal epithelial membrane. Due to these physiological and anatomical constraints only a small fraction of the drug, effectively 1% or even less of the instilled dose is ocularly absorbed. The effective dose of medication administered ophthalmically may be altered by increasing the retention time of medication in contact with the surface of the eye. To date, Pharmaceutical Technologists have tried to develop different novel formulations like gel, ocular inserts, collagen shields, implants, liposomes, nanoparticles, penetration enhancers and in-situ gelling systems, in order to increase the bioavailability and duration of the therapeutic action of ocular drugs and polymers plays an important role in all these approaches. This book provides detailed information regarding all such polymers which have been used and shown to be excellent in improving the bioavailability of ocular drugs.

Basic Fundamentals of Drug Delivery covers the fundamental principles, advanced methodologies and technologies employed by pharmaceutical scientists, researchers and pharmaceutical industries to transform a drug candidate or new chemical entity into a final administrable drug delivery system. The book also covers various approaches involved in optimizing the therapeutic performance of a biomolecule while designing its appropriate advanced formulation. - Provides up-to-date information on translating the physicochemical properties of drugs into drug delivery systems - Explores how drugs are administered via various routes, such as orally, parenterally, transdermally or through inhalation - Contains extensive references and further reading for course and self-study

Applications of Polymers in Drug Delivery, Second Edition, provides a comprehensive resource for anyone looking to understand how polymeric materials can be applied to current, new, and emerging drug delivery applications. Polymers play a crucial role in modulating drug delivery and have been fundamental in the successful development of many novel drug delivery systems. This book describes the development of polymeric systems, ranging from conventional dosage forms to the most recent smart systems. Regulatory and intellectual property aspects as well as the clinical applicability of polymeric drug delivery systems are also discussed. The chapters are organized by specific delivery route, offering methodical and detailed coverage throughout. This second edition has been thoroughly revised to include the latest developments in the field. This is an essential book for researchers, scientists, and advanced students, in polymer science, drug delivery, pharmacology/pharmaceuticals, materials science, tissue engineering, nanomedicine, chemistry, and biology. In industry, this book supports scientists, R&D, and other professionals, working on polymers for drug delivery applications. - Explains how polymers can be prepared and utilized for all major drug delivery routes - Presents the latest advances, including drug targeting, polymeric micelles and polymersomes, and the delivery of biologicals and nucleic acid therapeutics - Includes appendices with in-depth information on pharmaceutical properties of polymers and regulatory aspects

Nanotechnology can treat diseases by site-specific and target-oriented delivery of precise medicines. Nanomaterials improve the efficacy of drugs and selective diagnosis. The book covers detection and treatment. It explains the use of nanocarriers for a variety of diseases such as cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, cancer, and ulcerative colitis. It includes topical, transdermal, and ocular drug delivery and combined medication delivery.

Issues in Pharmacology, Pharmacy, Drug Research, and Drug Innovation: 2013 Edition is a ScholarlyEditions™ book that delivers timely, authoritative, and comprehensive information about Molecular Pharmacology. The editors have built Issues in Pharmacology, Pharmacy, Drug Research, and Drug Innovation: 2013 Edition on the vast information databases of ScholarlyNews.™ You can expect the information about Molecular Pharmacology in this book to be deeper than what you can access anywhere else, as well as consistently reliable, authoritative, informed, and relevant. The content of Issues in Pharmacology, Pharmacy, Drug Research, and Drug Innovation: 2013 Edition has been produced by the world’s leading scientists, engineers, analysts, research institutions, and companies. All of the content is from peer-reviewed sources, and all of it is written, assembled, and edited by the editors at ScholarlyEditions™ and available exclusively from us. You now have a source you can cite with authority, confidence, and credibility. More information is available at http://www.ScholarlyEditions.com/.

A multidisciplinary approach is increasingly being adapted by the Pharmaceutical industry to tackle several challenges in developing efficacious treatment solutions. The field of Ophthalmology is no less different. Treatise on Ocular Drug Delivery is a unique collection of information put together by various experts in the field. One of the major goals behind this volume is to link clinical information with the current strategies employed in ocular drug delivery. This monograph covers a range of topics on ocular pharmacology. Chapters in the e-book cover several aspects of drug delivery research such as the biochemical background of specific eye diseases, challenges for ocular drug delivery, the role of influx and efflux transporters, novel drug delivery systems, pharmacokinetics, regulatory aspects, and patenting opportunities for researchers. This E-Book would serve as a suitable reference for pharmacy graduates, medical students, professional scientists and ophthalmic clinicians in academic and industrial laboratories.

Drug discovery for ocular diseases has taken great strides in the last two decades. From cornea to choroid, new drugs have been formulated to address a great variety of ocular diseases. Yet without good drug delivery systems, these drugs are less effective than they might be or could even cause serious side effects. Ocular Drug Delivery Systems: Barriers and Application of Nanoparticulate Systems presents research on the development of currently marketed devices and recent trends in the topical delivery of drugs to the posterior of the eye. With contributions from leading pharmaceutical researchers and industry experts, eye researchers, surgeons, pharmacologists from academia, the National Eye Institute, and leading ophthalmic companies such as Pfizer, Allergan, and Novartis, the book presents the state of the art in the use of nanoparticles in ocular drug delivery systems and also sets the stage for future developments. This volume provides both a current evaluation and a future roadmap for developments in ocular drug delivery. The subjects range from biological needs to material challenges and finally to clinical applications for improving drug delivery for conditions where treatments already exist. It also explores areas where effective drugs may be currently available but yet need a safe, efficient, and efficacious delivery vehicle.

Smart Polymeric Nano-Constructs in Drug Delivery: Concept, Design and Therapeutic Applications provides a thorough discussion of the most state of the art material and polymer exploitations for the delivery of bioactive(s) as well as their current and clinical status. The book enables researchers to prepare a variety of smart drug delivery systems to investigate their properties as well as to discover their uses and applications. The novelty of this approach addresses an existing need of exhaustively understanding the potential of the materials including polymeric drug delivery systems that are smartly designed to deliver bioactive(s) into the body at targeted sites without showing side effects. The book is helpful for those in the health sector, specifically those developing nanomedicine using smart material-based nano-delivery systems. Polymers have unique co-operative properties that are not found with low-molecular-weight compounds along with their appealing physical and chemical properties, constituting the root of their success in drug delivery. Smart Polymeric Nano-Constructs in Drug Delivery: Concept, Design and Therapeutic Applications discusses smart and stimuli responsive polymers applicable in drug delivery, followed detailed information about various concepts and designing of polymeric novel drug delivery systems for treatment of various type of diseases, also discussing patents related to the field. The book helps readers to design and develop novel drug delivery systems based on smart materials for the effective delivery of bioactive that take advantage of recent advances in smart polymer-based strategies. It is useful to those in pharmaceutical sciences and related fields in developing new drug delivery systems. Provides comprehensive overview of the potential role of polymeric systems in drug delivery Explores the design, synthesis, and application of different smart material-based delivery systems Includes fundamental and clinical applications

Nanotechnology seeks to exploit distinct technological advances controlling the structure of nanoscale biomaterials at a nanodimensional scale approaching individual molecules and their aggregates or supramolecular structures. The term "nanomedicine" is used to describe those technologies under the umbrella of nanotechnology that have therapeutic applications in human health. This book presents recent trends and research achievements in the field of pharmaceutical nanotechnology and advanced drug delivery nanosystems, especially for theranostic purposes. The applications of drug delivery nanosystems considered carriers of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) (e.g., proteins, peptides, and nucleic acids) are analyzed on the basis of technology, preparation protocols, and biomedical applications. The book also extensively reports on the principles, design protocols, and applications of nanosystems in drug delivery, imaging, and targeting of active molecules of pharmaceutical interest.

This consolidated reference book addresses the various aspects of nano biomaterials used in ophthalmic drug delivery, including their characterization, interactions with ophthalmic system and applications in treatments of the ophthalmic diseases and disorders. In the last decade, a significant growth in polymer sciences, nanotechnology and biotechnology has resulted in the development of new nano- and bioengineered nano-bio-materials. These are extensively explored as drug delivery carriers as well as for implantable devices and scaffolds. At the interface between nanomaterials and biological systems, the organic and synthetic worlds merge into a new science concerned with the safe use of nanotechnology and nano material design for biological applications. For this field to evolve, there is a need to understand the dynamic forces and molecular components that shape these interactions. While it is impossible to describe with certainty all the bio physicochemical interactions at play at the interface, we are at a point where the pockets of assembled knowledge are providing a conceptual framework to guide this exploration, and review the impact on future product development. The book is intended as a valuable resource for academics and pharmaceutical scientists working in the field of polymers, polymers materials for drug delivery, drug delivery systems and ophthalmic drug delivery systems, in addition to medical and health care professionals in these areas.