Spray Drying as an Effective Method in the Development of Solid Self-Emulsifying Drug Delivery Systems

Most of the new drug candidates and present ones are lipophilic, which leads to low bioavailability. Self-emulsifying drug delivery systems (SEDDS) have emerged as promising formulation system for poorly water-soluble drug candidates. Over the last two decades, various such drug compounds were used by researchers for the development of SEDDS. At present, many SEDDS formulations are also available in the market. Though SEDDS offer many advantages but drawbacks like low drug loading, few dosage form choices, difficulty in handling and storage led to the solidification of this system by various methods. Solidification by spray drying technique offers a lot of advantages like scalability and stability. This particular method is the focus of this review. Adsorbent carriers have the most significant role in the fate of this formulation and its compatibility with the drug candidate. This review addresses the advantages, method of development, spray drying specifications, and characterization of S-SEDDS in detail. Furthermore, the prospect of turning spray-dried SEDDS into tablets by punching which offers potential advantages of increased bioavailability and stability has also been discussed.

Automated summary

Most new and existing drug candidates are lipophilic, resulting in low bioavailability. Self-emulsifying drug delivery systems (SEDDS) have emerged as a promising formulation system for poorly water-soluble drugs. Researchers have used various drug compounds over the past two decades to develop SEDDS, and many SEDDS formulations are now available in the market. However, drawbacks such as low drug loading and difficulty in handling and storage have led to the solidification of the SEDDS system by various methods. This review focuses on the spray drying technique as a method of solidification and discusses the advantages, development process, specifications, and characterization of spray-dried S-SEDDS in detail. Additionally, the potential of turning spray-dried SEDDS into tablets by punching to increase bioavailability and stability is also discussed.