Description
The solubilization of poorly soluble drugs is a frequently encountered challenge in screening studies of new chemical entities as well as in formulation design and development. Orally administered drugs can only be completely absorbed when they show fair solubility in gastric medium and such drugs show good bioavailability. Bioavailability depends on several factors, drug solubilization in an aqueous environment and drug permeability through lipophillic membranes being the important ones. However, more than 40% NCEs (new chemical entities) developed in Pharmaceutical Industry are practically insoluble in water. These poorly water-soluble drugs are allied with slow drug absorption leading to inadequate and variable bioavailability and gastrointestinal mucosal toxicity. Therefore, the improvement of drug solubility, namely its oral bio-availability, remains one of the most challenging aspects of drug development process especially for oral drug delivery system.