Transdermal formulations and strategies for the treatment of osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a silent and growing disease that constitutes a major health issue, due to its association with an elevated risk of fractures, morbidity, mortality, and re-hospitalization, along with the big financial burden involved. Drugs used in the treatment of this condition are administered via oral, nasal, subcutaneous, and intravenous routes.
However, many drawbacks have been linked with these approaches, including low bioavailability caused by a large first-pass effect and/or poor drug absorption due to the presence of food, or gastrointestinal problems associated with oral administration. Other adverse effects include nasal injury and local pain after subcutaneous administration and the inconveniences related to injections.
In this sense, the transdermal route has been perceived as an attractive alternative due to its less invasiveness, enormous absorptive area, ease of administration, and avoidance of liver metabolism. Nonetheless, the barrier function of the skin represents a great challenge that must be overcome. This review compiles various chemical and physical methods that have been tested to improve the transdermal delivery of FDA-approved drugs to treat osteoporosis.
Article information: Angélica Villanueva-Martínez, Virginia Merino, Adriana Ganem-Rondero, Transdermal formulations and strategies for the treatment of osteoporosis, Journal of Drug Delivery Science and Technology, Volume 69, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jddst.2022.103111.