SELF EMULSIFYING DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEM: A REVIEW

Abstract

Oral route still remains the favorite route of drug administration in many diseases and till today it is the first wayinvestigated in the development of new dosage forms. Approximately 40 per cent of new drug candidates have poor water solubility and the oral delivery ofsuch drugs is frequently associated with implications of low bioavailability, high intra and inter-subjectvariability, and lack of dose proportionality. Bioavailability problem of lipophillic drugs can be solved byformation of Self Emulsifying Drug Delivery System (SEDDS). SEDDS are isotropicmixtures of oil, surfactant, co-surfactant and drug with a unique ability to form fine oil in water microemulsion upon mild agitation following dilution with aqueous phase. The principal characteristic of thesesystems is their ability to form fine oil-in-water (o/w) emulsions or micro-emulsions upon mild agitation followingdilution by an aqueous phase. For lipophilic drugs, which have dissolution rate-limited absorption, SEDDS may be apromising strategy to improve the rate and extent of oral absorption.This review article explains how self-emulsifying drug delivery systems can increase the solubility and bioavailability ofpoorly soluble drug.