02-02-2012, 11:46 AM
PHARMACEUTICAL TECHNOLOGY
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Introduction
Size reduction is a fundamental unit operation having important applications in pharmacy. It helps in improving solubility and bioavailability, reducing toxicity, enhancing release and providing better formulation opportunities for drugs. In most of the cases, size reduction is limited to micron size range, for example, various pharmaceutical dosage forms like powder, emulsion, suspension etc. Drugs in the nanometer size range enhance performance in a variety of dosage forms. Major advantages of nanosizing include (i) increased surface area, (ii) enhanced solubility, (iii) increased rate of dissolution, (iv) increased oral bioavailability, (v) more rapid onset of therapeutic action, (vi) less amount of dose required, (vii) decreased fed/fasted variability, and (viii) decreased patient-to-patient variability.
Nano-Definitions
Important nano-definitions are described below:
‘Nanoscience’ can be defined as study of phenomenon and manipulation of materials at atomic and molecular scales.
‘Nanotechnology’ is related to design characterization, production and applications of structures, devices and systems by controlling shape and size at nanometer scale.
‘Pharmaceutical nanotechnology’ embraces applications of nanoscience to pharmacy as nanomaterials, and as devices like drug delivery, diagnostic, imaging and biosensor.
‘Nanomedicine’ is defined as submicron size (<1um) modules, used for treatment, diagnosis, monitoring, and control of biological system.
Opportunities and Scope
In view of post GATT (General Agreement of Trade and Tariff) scenario pharmaceutical industries are focusing towards their research on nanotechnology because developing new chemical entity (NCE) is very time consuming and expensive affair and most of drugs will be off patent very soon causing huge revenue loss. Applications of nanotechnology to pharmacy that provide intelligent and smart drug delivery systems is expected to emerge as most important and powerful tool as alternate to conventional dosage form.
Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology Based Systems
Pharmaceutical nanotechnology provides two basic types of nanotools viz. nanomaterials and nanodevices, which play a key role in realm of pharmaceutical nanotechnology and related fields. Nanomaterials are biomaterials used, for example, in orthopedic or dental implants or as scaffolds for tissue-engineered products. Their surface modifications or coatings might greatly enhance the biocompatibility by favoring the interaction of living cells with the biomaterial. These materials can be sub classified into nanocrystalline and nanostructured materials.
Nanocrystalline materials are readily manufactured and can substitute the less performing bulk materials. Raw nanomaterials can be used in drug encapsulation, bone replacements, prostheses (artificial mechanical devices to replace body parts lost in injury and or by birth e.g. artificial limbs, facial prosthetics and neuroprosthetics etc.), and implants.
