Current and Emerging Formulation Strategies for the Effective Transdermal Delivery of HIV Inhibitors

Abstract

Current and emerging formulation strategies for skin permeation are poised to open the transdermal drug delivery to a broader range of small molecule compounds that do not fit the traditional requirements for successful transdermal drug delivery, allowing the development of new patch technologies to deliver antiretroviral drugs that were previously incapable of being delivered through transdermal means. Transdermal drug delivery offers several distinct advantages over traditional dosage forms. Current antiretroviral drugs used for the treatment of HIV infection include a variety of highly active small molecule compounds with significantly limited skin permeability, and thus new and novel means of enhancing transport through the skin are needed. Current and emerging formulation strategies are poised to open the transdermal drug delivery to a broader range of compounds that do not fit the traditional requirements for successful transdermal drug delivery, allowing the development of new patch technologies to deliver antiretroviral drugs that were previously incapable of being delivered through transdermal means. Thus, with continuing research into skin permeability and patch formulation strategies, there is a large potential for antiretroviral transdermal drug delivery.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The authors disclose financial involvement for transdermal patch product development activities as founder and stockholder (RWB) and employment and stock option ownership in ImQuest Life Sciences, the parent company of ImQuest BioSciences, Inc. (ASH). The authors also acknowledge financial support for the development of the IQP-0410 transdermal patch described in this manuscript from grant R43 AI089331 from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.