Abstract

TRANSDERMAL DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEM: AN OVERVIEW

K. Sundaramoorthy*, V. Dhatchayani and S. Geetha

ABSTRACT

Transdermal drug delivery system (TDDS) is one of the novel drug delivery systems which can deliver medicines via skin portal to the systemic circulation at a predetermined rate and maintain clinically effective concentration over a prolonged period of time. Most of the drugs (about 74%) are taken orally and are found to be not effective because of poor bioavailability . To improve such characters TDDS was emerged. Transdermal delivery has many advantages over conventional drug delivery, it avoids hepatic first pass metabolism, also includes enhanced safety, efficacy, greater convenience and improved patient compliance. Skin act as a major target as well as principal barrier for TDDS. Most of the drugs do not have an ability to penetrate the stratum corneum(rate limiting barrier) penetration enhancers have been used to improve the bio-availability of drugs so that they can be delivered through skin. This review article provides an overview of TDDS, its advantages, disadvantages, limitations, various components, types of patches, method of preparation, ideal requirements for TDDS and its physicochemical method of evaluation.

Keywords: TDDS, Anatomy of skin, routes of permeation, component, evaluation.