A critical review on the availability of substandard and falsified medicines online: Incidence, challenges and perspectives.

Simultaneous expansion of the Internet and increased globalisation of the pharmaceutical industry have meant medication can be accessed transnationally from both legal and illicit sources. This has coincided with the rise of substandard and falsified medicines (SFMs) online. These products fail to meet regulatory or quality standards and/or are constituted with substandard ingredients, causing undesired pharmacological effects, including possible injury and death.

Influence of Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) on PVA-Poly-N-hydroxyethyl-aspartamide (PVA-PHEA) Microcrystalline Solid Dispersion Films.

This study was conducted to formulate buccal films consisting of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and poly-N-hydroxyethyl-aspartamide (PHEA), to improve the dissolution of the drug through the oral mucosa. Ibuprofen sodium salt was used as a model drug, and the buccal film was expected to enhance its dissolution rate. Two different concentrations of PVA (5% w/v and 7.

Spray-Drying, Solvent-Casting and Freeze-Drying Techniques: a Comparative Study on their Suitability for the Enhancement of Drug Dissolution Rates.

Purpose: Solid dispersions (SDs) represent the most common formulation technique used to increase the dissolution rate of a drug. In this work, the three most common methods used to prepare SDs, namely spray-drying, solvent-casting and freeze-drying, have been compared in order to investigate their effect on increasing drug dissolution rate.

Methods: Three formulation strategies were used to prepare a polymer mixture of polyvinyl-alcohol (PVA) and maltodextrin (MDX) as SDs loaded with the following three model drugs, all of which possess a poor solubility: Olanzapine, Dexamethasone, and Triamcinolone acetonide.

Hyaluronan Graft Copolymers Bearing Fatty-Acid Residues as Self-Assembling Nanoparticles for Olanzapine Delivery.

In order to evaluate the potential of a technology platform based on hyaluronan copolymers grafted with propargylated ferulate fluorophores (HA-FA-Pg) in the development of drug delivery systems, the propargyl groups of HA-FA-Pg derivatives were employed with oleic acid (OA) or stearic acid (SA) residues across a biocompatible hexa(ethylene glycol) (HEG) spacer. The designed materials (i.e.

3D-Printed Solid Dispersion Drug Products.

With the well-known advantages of additive manufacturing methods such as three-dimensional (3D) printing in drug delivery, it is disappointing that only one product has been successful in achieving regulatory approval in the past few years. Further research and development is required in this area to introduce more 3D printed products into the market. Our study investigates the potential of fixed dose combination solid dispersion drug products generated via 3D printing.

Engineering of Nanofibrous Amorphous and Crystalline Solid Dispersions for Oral Drug Delivery.

Poor aqueous solubility (<0.1 mg/mL) affects a significant number of drugs currently on the market or under development. Several formulation strategies including salt formation, particle size reduction, and solid dispersion approaches have been employed with varied success.

Solid microcrystalline dispersion films as a new strategy to improve the dissolution rate of poorly water soluble drugs: A case study using olanzapine.

In this study, we evaluate the dissolution rate enhancement of solid microcrystalline dispersion (SMD) films of olanzapine (OLZ) formulated with four water-soluble polymers namely poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP), poloxamer 188 (P188), poloxamer 407 (P407) and Soluplus(®) (SLP). Prepared formulations were characterised to determine particle size, morphology, hydrogen bonding interactions, thermal characteristics as well as in vitro dissolution studies conducted under sink conditions (pH 6.8).