Has nanotechnology led to improved therapeutic outcomes?

Abstract

Nanoparticulate drug delivery systems provide new opportunities for solving issues associated with problematic drugs or disease states and have, therefore, created great expectations in the field of drug delivery. This review focuses on the potential benefits of nanoparticles compared with other conventional delivery systems. Several nanoparticulate drug delivery systems have already been marketed or are currently under development and are presented in this review. Results from clinical trials demonstrate that nanoparticulate formulations generally enable superior therapeutic outcomes than compared with standard formulations. Therefore, the implementation of nanotechnology in drug delivery represents an important advance with substantial potential to improve therapeutic effectiveness and increase patient’s quality of life.

Keywords::

• nanotechnology
• oral delivery
• pulmonary delivery
• parenteral delivery
• poorly soluble drugs
• efficacy of nanoparticles
• safety of nanoparticles
• drug targeting