Transdermal delivery of mal-absorbable drugs with chemical- and physical enhancement methods

Abstract

Skin has been greatly paid attention as an application site for therapeutic drugs having local and systematic effects. Recently, transdermal patches were approved to treat central nervous system disorderssuch as Alzheimer's disease and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Furthermore, transdermal vaccine has been developed because the epidermis is a useful immune-reactive field. Drug permeation through skin, however, is commonly lower than that through other mucosals. Thus, the enhancement of transdermal permeation of drugs is necessary to expect the effect of topically applied drugs. In this chapter, we show chemical and physical enhancement strategies for transdermal drug delivery and discuss their usefulness.