Padma Narayan
Dow Chemical Company, USA
Title: The importance of polymers and surfactants in drug delivery
Biography
Biography: Padma Narayan
Abstract
The challenge of delivering poorly water soluble drugs, with respect to their targeted dose, is prevalent, despite the discovery of new molecules with higher potency. Methods to improve the solubility and bioavailability of drugs have become a paramount element of formulation design and scaleup. Hence various polymers and surfactants have been evaluated as functional excipients which are important formulation components to combat the problem of low bioavailability. A thorough understanding of these excipient properties is highly important to select the most optimal polymer and/or surfactant to improve the performance of the dosage form and drug availability. Important performance factors of polymers include glass transition temperature (Tg), thermal stability, dissolution profiles in organic solvents, and an optimal solubilization of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) in the polymer matrix. Formulation techniques that can improve the water solubility of drugs involve amorphous dispersions, improved wetting agents, and ‘spring and parachute’ type approaches where the drug is prevented from precipitating inside the GI tract, or kept stable as amorphous within the dosage form. Polymers that can be used for these applications range from polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyethylene glycols/ oxides, cellulosics such as hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, acrylates, and various copolymers. Surfactants can vary from nonionic materials based on alkylene oxide derivatives, and ionic based on sulfonic acid, quarternary amine, or acrylate functionalities. This talk will provide an overview of designing the best systems with surfactants and polymers to solubilize drugs and improve their bioavailability.