TRANSDERMAL DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEM: A REVIEW

K. Sravanthi*, D. Rama Brahma Reddy, A. Sirisha, A. Pavani, B. Kanaka Mahalakshmi and B. Sowjanya

ABSTRACT

A Transdermal Patch is a Medical Adhesive Patch that is placed on the skin to deliver a specific dose of medication through the skin and into the bloodstream. Often, this promotes healing to an injured area of the body. An advantage of a transdermal drug delivery route over other types of medication delivery such as oral, topical, intravenous, intramuscular, etc. is that the patch provides a controlled release of the medication into the patient, usually through either a porous membrane covering a reservoir of medication or through body heat melting thin layers of medication embedded in the adhesive. First-generation transdermal delivery has delivered small, lipophilic, low dose drugs. Second-generation transdermal delivery has used ultrasound, iontophoresis and chemical enhancers in delivering the drug. Third-generation transdermal delivery has used microneedles, electroporation, thermal ablation, microderm abrasion, in topical application. The main aim of transdermal drug delivery system is to deliver the drug into systemic circulation with minimal inter and intra subject variability.

Keywords: Transdermal skin, permeation enhancers, evaluation studies.