Gastroretentive drug delivery systems: a patent perspective

Patent, once seen as a technical matter for legal experts, has today become a central concern for governments, businesses, civil society, scientists and innovators. In a world where the economic growth of nations is driven increasingly by creativity and knowledge of their people, effective intellectual property (IP) systems, which create incentives for innovation and structures for sharing the results, are key to unlocking the human potentials. Recent pharmaceutical patented literature has shown increased interest in novel dosage forms that can be retained in the stomach for a prolonged and predictable period of time. Since the last three decades many drug molecules formulated as Gastroretentive Drug Delivery System (GRDDS) have been patented keeping in view its commercial success. This review on GRDDS attempts to compile the available patented literature with all the possible mechanisms used to achieve gastric retention.