PARTICLES AS DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEMS

Abstract

Advances in genetically engineered products present an entirely new spectrum of drugs to the medical community. With these exciting new drugs come complex challenges for their delivery. The compounds are often high molecular weight proteins, many with extremely short in vivo half lives. The challenge is to deliver these new drugs to the body at a controlled rate. The rate can be uniform or programmed to a specific regimen, with time frames from hours to months. An additional challenge is posed by drugs that are highly toxic. If the drug were to home in directly on the site of action, systemic damage could be minimized. Drug loaded particles, (emulsions, liposomes or microcapsules), are being developed for both controlled and targeted drug delivery.