Nanopharmaceuticals: Characteristics of importance for pharmaceutical practice

Abstract

In the field of pharmaceutical technology, nanopharmaceutical preparations/nanopharmaceuticals are currently the most studied and most promising topic. By using nanomaterials as drug delivery carriers, the pharmacological properties of drugs can be improved by changing their pharmacokinetic properties and distribution in the biological environment. This approach is particularly useful in delivery of chemotherapeutic agents into tumor tissues. Due to their characteristics, nanopharmaceuticals have many advantages over preparations used in conventional chemotherapy. The greatest advantage is the targeted drug delivery to tumor tissues, resulting in reduced systemic toxicity, which is the most prominent disadvantage of conventional chemotherapy. Among various types of nanocarriers, the most attention was drawn to liposomes and micelles, which represent the most successful and commercialized categories within the field of nanomedicine. Several nanotherapeutics, which contain active substances belonging to different pharmacotherapeutical groups (e.g. chemotherapeutical agents, anesthetics, antibiotics, sedatives, etc.), have already entered clinical practice, mainly in following dosage forms: powder for solution for infusion, suspension for injection and emulsion for injection. On the other hand, there is a greater number of drugs undergoing clinical investigation for a variety of indications. However, regulatory agencies have so far failed to provide concrete information on tests for nanopharmaceuticals characterization and quality control, as well as for other practical issues, such as safety, needed in the process of development and registration of nanopharmaceuticals, which complicates/defers the emergence of a larger number of new licensed nanopharmaceutical preparations.

Keywords

• nanopharmaceutical preparations/nanopharmaceuticals
• liposomes
• nanocrystals
• nanoparticles
• micelles
• nanocomplexes
• safety