Transdermal Drug Delivery Technology Revisited : Recent Advances

The number of medications and the ways in which they can be administered have expanded dramatically over the years. One such advance has been the development of transdermal patch delivery systems. Transdermal drug technology specialists are continuing to search for new methods that can effectively and painlessly deliver larger molecules in therapeutic quantities to overcome the difficulties associated with the oral route. Transdermal Drug Delivery System is the system in which the delivery of the active ingredients of the drug occurs by the means of skin. Skin is an effective medium from which absorption of the drug takes place and enters the circulatory system. Various types of transdermal patches are used to incorporate the active ingredients into the circulatory system via skin. The patches have been proved effective because of its large advantages over other controlled drug delivery systems. This review article covers a brief outline of various components of transdermal patch, applications of transdermal patch, their advantages, disadvantages, when the transdermal patch are used and when their use should be avoid and some of the recent development in the field along with the latest patents in this field.