Oral Drug Delivery Systems
Oral drug delivery systems are gaining popularity and acceptance as technologies evolve. Together with easy administration, they also offer innovative solutions for some key challenges faced by the Biopharma Industry. With conventional drug delivery systems (tablets, capsules, etc) the mouth is merely the entry point of the medication with the active being absorbed in the gastro intestinal (GI) tract. Oral technologies, however, are designed to deliver the active directly via the oral cavity with the mouth becoming the site of administration, application and absorption. Absorption into the blood capillaries occurs via diffusion of the drug through the non-keratinized buccal (lining the mucosa) and sublingual mucosa, thereby giving the drug direct access to the circulation system and correspondingly significantly reduces the so-called “first-pass effect” (the hepatic metabolism of orally administered drugs by gastrointestinal enzymes, resulting in a significantly reduced amount of unmetabolized drug reaching the systemic circulation).
Oral drug delivery systems possess some important characteristics and properties:
1) Broad range of applications (local or systemic, food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical products)
2) Non-invasive, ideal for pediatric/geriatric patients
3) No water and no chewing are needed for administration resulting in a substantial improvement of patient compliance and convenience
4) Significantly reduced “first-pass effect”:
- Improved bioavailability in comparison to conventional solid dosage forms
- Improved stability for pH sensitive drugs (mouth saliva pH ≈6.5)
- Accurate dosing and less waste of expensive drugs through metabolic/gastric degradation
- Improved safety through lower dosage and milder GI side effects
- Reduced level of metabolites and related side effects
5) Versatile drug release (immediate/controlled)
6) Customized colour, shape, dimension, taste
7) Adaptable to existing processing and packaging machinery
8) Cost-effective
9) Extension of market exclusivity for drug entities at the end of their patent life
The IntelGenx oral drug delivery systems encompass two technologies: the Quick Release Wafer Technology and the Mucoadhesive Technology. Each technology offers distinct advantages, which make them uniquely suitable for a wide range of applications.