More Than Skin Deep: Transdermal Drug-Delivery Systems

Abstract

Modern pharmaceutics is perhaps four decades old. During this time, the empirical approach to drug delivery has begun to yield to a more theoretical approach, which has brought the principles of physical chemistry to bear on the design of drug-delivery methods. As a result, patients benefit from reservoirs of pilocarpine impregnated in plastic and inserted into the conjunctival sac to treat glaucoma, from intrauterine devices that release progesterone to prevent unwanted pregnancy, and from repository-injection forms of major tranquilizers and hormones.An important focus has been transdermal drug delivery. A scopolamine skin patch can deliver prolonged protection against motion sickness, . . .