Technical Paper – METHODOLOGIES FOR DEVELOPING s-SEDDS
The use of solid self-emulsifying drug delivery systems is growing in popularity as they offer advantages over liquids, such as the ease with which they can be incorporated into tablets and other solid oral dosage forms, their stability and ease of manufacture. Dr John K Tillotson, RPh, PhD at ABITEC, looks at the various methods available for manufacturing these systems and explores the possibilities of optimising these methods in the future.
Lipid-based drug delivery (LBDD) is an effective method of improving the solubility of BCS Class II and Class IV compounds and the permeability of certain BCS Class III and Class IV compounds. Typically, LBDD systems are formulated by dissolving the therapeutic compound in one or more lipids to form a pre-concentrate. Subsequently, this pre-concentrate forms a drug containing oil-in-water emulsion in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract through the actions of enzymes and bile salts or by self-emulsification of the lipid components.