Characteristics of vaginal delivery systems

Abstract

The lumen of vagina is the usual route for application of vaginal preparations with antimicrobial drug substances, however, good vascularisation and high permeability of the large surface of vaginal mucosa, as well as the circumvention of metabolic degradation in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), favor the absorption of numerous active substances for systemic administration or targeted drug delivery in the uterus. The development of drug delivery systems for vaginal administration is a significant current strategy for improving therapy in this way, compared to conventional vaginal preparations, with the primary interest to ensure good spreading and prolonged retention at the site of administration and the desired profile of delivery of the active substance to the site of action or absorption. The article provides an overview of available data on vaginal rings, vaginal delivery systems for cervical maturation before childbirth and SILCS diaphragm. It was also pointed out the exceptional importance of intense development of vaginal rings with microbicides for effective prevention of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, as well as those designed for multipurpose prevention of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.

Keywords

• vaginal delivery system
• vaginal ring
• silcs diaphragm
• multipurpose prevention technologies