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Novel Platforms for Oral Drug Delivery

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Abstract

The aim of this review is to provide the reader general and inspiring prospects on recent and promising fields of innovation in oral drug delivery. Nowadays, inventive drug delivery systems vary from geometrically modified and modular matrices, more close to “classic” pharmaceutical manufacturing processes, to futuristic bio micro-electro-mechanical systems (bioMEMS), based on manufacturing techniques borrowed from electronics and other fields. In these technologies new materials and creative solutions are essential designing intelligent drug delivery systems able to release the required drug at the proper body location with the correct release rate. In particular, oral drug delivery systems of the future are expected to have a significant impact on the treatment of diseases, such as AIDS, cancer, malaria, diabetes requiring complex and multi-drug therapies, as well as on the life of patients, whose age and/or health status make necessary a multiple pharmacological approach.

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Acknowledgements

Authors would like to acknowledge Dr. Pedro Barata (Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Fernando Pessoa - Porto, Portugal) and Dr. Orazio Luca Strusi for their precious help in collecting the gamma scintigraphy images.

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  1. Dipartimento Farmaceutico, Università degli Studi di Parma, Viale G.P. Usberti 27/a, 43100, Parma, Italy

    P. Colombo, F. Sonvico & R. Bettini

  2. Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università di Ferrara, Via Fossato di Mortara 17/19, Ferrara, 44100, Italy

    G. Colombo

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Colombo, P., Sonvico, F., Colombo, G. et al. Novel Platforms for Oral Drug Delivery. Pharm Res 26, 601–611 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11095-008-9803-0

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