Topically Applied Therapies for the Treatment of Skin Disease: Past, Present, and Future.

The purpose of this review is to summarize essential biological, pharmaceutical, and clinical aspects in the field of topically applied medicines that may help scientists when trying to develop new topical medicines. After a brief history of topical drug delivery, a review of the structure and function of the skin and routes of drug absorption and their limitations is provided. The most prevalent diseases and current topical treatment approaches are then detailed, the organization of which reflects the key disease categories of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, microbial infections, skin cancers, and genetic skin diseases.

Skin permeation and penetration of mometasone furoate in the presence of emollients: An ex vivo evaluation of clinical application protocols.

Background: Topical corticosteroids (TCS) and emollients are developed independently by the pharmaceutical industry but are often used together in practice. There is potential for the TCS and emollient formulations to interact on the skin surface affecting TCS absorption into the skin. Clinical guidelines acknowledge this issue but lack an evidence base and differ in their recommendations.

The effect of dilution of fusidic acid cream and betamethasone dipropionate cream in complex extemporaneous mixes on formulation performance.

The Aron regimen is an unconventional therapy which entails frequent applications of an extemporaneously prepared three component system (a topical antibiotic, a corticosteroid and an emollient), with the intention of decolonising the skin of S. aureus whilst treating atopic dermatitis. The impact of heavily diluting these topical medicinal products, to differing extents, on formulation performance is not well understood thus was investigated in this study.

Polymer Architecture Effects on Poly(N,N-Diethyl Acrylamide)-b-Poly(Ethylene Glycol)-b-Poly(N,N-Diethyl Acrylamide) Thermoreversible Gels and Their Evaluation as a Healthcare Material.

Thermoreversible gels which transition between liquid-like and solid-like states when warmed have enabled significant novel healthcare technologies. Poly(N,N-diethyl acrylamide) (PDEA) is a thermoresponsive polymer which can be used as a trigger to form thermoreversible gels, however its use in these materials is limited and crucial design principles are unknown. Herein ABA copolymers with the structure PDEA-b-poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-b-PDEA are synthesized to give four block copolymers with varied molecular weight of PDEA and PEG blocks.